Under
by AngelaFaye
Summary: When NYPD officers are being murdered in cold blood, Dani and Malcolm go undercover to try and stop the gang responsible before another cop loses their life.
1. Chapter 1

The entire floor of the Major Crimes Unit was a bustling hive of activity. Detectives were clustered in various parts of the bullpen discussing the most up-to-date information. A tactical team was briefing in Gil's office as they geared up, attaching knee pads, elbow pads, and vests. In the conference room, Gil and Malcolm were combing over files and firing questions at J.T., the way a student might prep for an exam.

"Your last prison stint?" Gil quizzed.

"Twenty-three months in Sing Sing: drug trafficking and assault, been out for three months," J.T. responded.

"Cell mate's name?" Gil continued.

"Warren Campbell."

Malcolm jumped in, "Current head of the One-Nines?"

"Ezra Bennet."

"His number two?"

"Luca Morales."

Gil flipped a few pages in the file he was reading, "Club name and password?"

"Diablo. Password: Genghis,"

Malcolm grinned at the password. _So humble,_ he chuckled inwardly.

"How long has Bennet owned the club?" the lieutenant asked.

"Four years."

Malcolm watched J.T. as he rattled off answer after correct answer. They'd been prepping his cover for over a week now. Drilling every single detail over and over. Dani had been under with the One-Nines for seventeen days, taking over as club manager at Diablo after the previous manager was "anonymously" turned in for having a vastly outdated work visa. Not the NYPD's fault, but they were more than happy to use the opportunity to get one of their own inside one of the biggest heroin distributions the city has ever seen.

The One-Nines, AKA the One-Niners or Niners, were one of the most violent gangs in the city. Their primary livelihood was a heroin empire built from the ground up by leader, Ezra Bennet. The Niners had their hands in a few other cookie jars as well, weapons and ammunition, human trafficking, anything that Ezra deemed profitable and lucrative at the time. While all of this was, indeed, abhorrent, it wasn't what pushed the brass into green-lighting their team's undercover op.

In the past month, three NYPD officers had been murdered in cold blood. Almost every precinct in the city had people working the case. They knew the One-Niners were responsible, but ever after four weeks of investigating, they couldn't find a way to connect them to the killings.

Malcolm continued to test J.T., "Bennet's wife's name?"

"Joslynn: arrested a month ago in a sting set up by Special Ops, currently awaiting trial in Lincoln Correctional, five months pregnant."

"Definitely the catalyst for the killing spree," Gil murmured. "Your last name?"

"Walker," J.T. answered.

Another detective rushed into the conference room with a worried look on her face. She handed Gil a piece of paper apologetically, and excused herself. Malcolm and J.T. watched their boss intently as his eyes zipped back and forth over the words.

He skimmed the document quickly, "Shit."

"What's up, boss?" Before J.T. could finish the question, Gil was handing him the paper. The detective read it over and then proceeded to throw it at the table in front of him. He placed his hands on the back of the chair in front of him, paused for a second, and then picked the chair up and slammed it down on the floor. "Damn it!"

"You're out J.T.. We can't send you in." Gil ran his hands through his hair.

Malcolm shifted his gaze between his boss and his partner, quizzically, "What did I miss?" He picked the document up off of the table and read it as Gil explained.

"Updated intel. Damian Mitchell is Bennet's newest addition to his personal security team. J.T. has arrested him twice. He's got a laundry list of offenses."

"Assault and domestic violence mostly," J.T. elaborated. "Sprinkle in some minor drug possessions here and there. Every time we thought we had him on something substantial, the victims would either drop the charges, because he threatened loved ones, or his high-priced lawyer would bargain his sentence down to months at best."

"None of that matters, though," Gil added, exasperated. "We have to scrap this." He rubbed his forehead with his hand, clearly flustered about what they should do now.

"Boss, we're not going to get another chance like this." J.T. advised. "We've got the ammo stock. We've put in so much groundwork. There's gotta be something we can do." Malcolm watched as Gil absent-mindedly paced the length of the conference room. Meanwhile J.T. was obviously, and understandably aggravated that all the effort he had put into preparing for this op had just gone down the drain. "Unbelievable," he huffed.

Gil tried to placate his detective. "I get it J.T.. No one is more disappointed about this than I am. But our hands are tied here. You can't walk straight into Mitchell."

"But I can," Malcolm replied without hesitation.

The two men stared at Malcolm. J.T.'s face was a mask of pure shock, while Gil simply eyed Malcolm skeptically, neither of them responding to his offer. The silence lasted so long that Malcolm started to think they actually hadn't heard him. He was about to offer a second time when Gil finally acknowledged him with an unyielding, "No."

Malcolm crossed the room and leaned over, bracing himself on the table opposite his mentor, "Why not? I know the cover from top to bottom." He gestured to the stacks of files they'd been quizzing J.T. over for days.

"Well, for starters, you're not an NYPD officer," Gil retorted.

"But I _am_ a consultant," Malcolm held up his index finger as though this fact would immediately sway Gil. The lieutenant merely furrowed his eyebrows, not buying the pitch.

"You know, he has a point," J.T. noted. Malcolm's eyes widened in surprise at the assist from the detective. J.T. turned to him, "I know. I'm just as shocked as you are." He returned his focus back to Gil. "I mean, let's be honest, Bright probably knows the cover _better_ than I do."

Malcolm smiled appreciatively and opened his hands up as though J.T.'s endorsement had settled it.

"No." While Gil's response was the same, the force behind its delivery had weakened. Malcolm took the opportunity to continue his angle.

"I can do this, Gil. You know I can. Hell, getting into the killers' heads and manipulating them is literally my job description." He straightened up and awaited Gil's response. When he gave none, Malcolm resumed, "How long until the next officer is murdered? They all have families, children. Let me help you catch these guys."

"Even if I wanted to, Bright, which I don't, I can't send a civilian on an NYPD op. End of story."

"Then restructure. Don't call me a U.C., call me an informant," Malcolm countered, crossing his arms, quite proud of his work around.

J.T. grinned. The profiler had him there; they used civilian informants to aid with narcotics deals and sting ops all the time. Gil glared at him and he quickly dropped the smirk.

Malcolm anxiously awaited Gil's next attempt to shut his idea down, counter-arguments teed up, ready to launch. Instead, their boss silently turned and walked out of the conference room. Malcolm looked at J.T., who shrugged, just as confused as he was. They watched as Gil walked to the coffee station, made himself a new cup, returned to the room, and leaned against the wall.

"I don't like this. At all." He sighed as he took a sip from his mug. "But you're right J.T., we aren't going to get another opportunity like this. And too many cops have already died. So…"

Malcolm's face lit up, "Thank you, Gil."

"Oh don't thank me, Bright. You officially have forty-five minutes to get yourself prepared."

"Alright," J.T. said snatching the file out of Malcolm's hand, prepping his first question, "let's go."

A half an hour later, J.T. and Malcolm had run through an astounding number of details, and the profiler hadn't missed a single question. But Malcolm knowing the cover wasn't ever something Gil was concerned about. It was the improvising that scared him. UCs had to adapt quickly to the scenario they were presented. Whenever Malcolm improvised, he got reckless, and that was something they couldn't afford with this op.

J.T. decided to spend the last few minutes drilling their spiel to Ezra, "Ok, when you're face to face with Bennet he's going to try to size you up, see if you're easily intimidated. They will likely threaten you, try to catch you off guard. You can't react." Malcolm nodded his head. "If they point a weapon at you, assess the situation quickly. Is it an imminent threat or are they testing you? Obviously protect yourself if you think it's legit, but don't bust the op over a simple power thrust."

"Got it," Malcolm replied.

"They aren't expecting you, so you're going to have to smooth talk them. Charm your way in. Make sure they understand the value of what you're bringing to the table, and they should take you to Morales at the very least, Bennet if we're lucky." Malcolm continued to nod as he absorbed everything J.T. was saying. "Remember we aren't wiring you for this first meet; they'll scan you for sure since you're new. Your watch has a distress button that only transmits a signal if you push it. The TAC team will be ninety seconds out, if you do. Good deal?"

"Good deal," Malcolm affirmed.

"What type of ammo are we offering?"

"5.7 mil 40 grain steel core," Malcolm recited, "'cop killers."

"Okay." J.T. closed the file he was holding and looked to Gil for what was next.

Gil silently assessed Malcolm for a moment. "So we're sticking with the suit then?" he questioned.

"What's wrong with my suit?" Malcolm inspected the front of his jacket for flaws.

Gil chuckled, "I'm not sure many ammo dealers wear Tom Ford."

J.T. interjected, "Maybe not. But it definitely sends the right message."

"Which is?" Gil asked. Malcolm was also intrigued.

"I've got a shit ton of money. I sell a lot of ammunition. You want to do business with me." Malcolm raised his eyebrows and grinned. "It might not be conventional, but I think unconventional is what's going to work for Bright."

"Fair enough," Gil agreed. He watched Malcolm as he adjusted his cuffs nervously and fidgeted his fingers. "You good?" he asked him.

"Yeah. I'm good. I just hate standing around waiting."

"We know," Gil mused. "Are you comfortable with the cartridges? Loading the magazine? You have to look like you do that often."

Malcolm looked up at his mentor, then J.T., and smirked, "You guys do remember I was in the FBI right?" Gil acted as though he was going to say something, but Malcolm continued, "Had all my certifications: PFT, firearms, hand to hand, the whole business. Got a 98% on my firearms, if anyone's curious."

"98? What happened?" J.T. razzed.

"I sneezed," Malcolm replied honestly.

J.T. tried his best to hold the laugh in, but it escaped anyway. "Seriously?" he giggled.

"Seriously. You only get so many seconds, so..."

Even Gil had to chuckle at that. If he was being completely honest, he'd have to admit it _was _easy to forget that Malcolm used to work in the field for the bureau. Most days he still saw that scared, confused eleven-year-old little boy when he looked at Malcolm. "You're right. Sorry."

"It's ok. I just meant that I'm ready."

"Yeah. I think you are," Gil patted Malcolm once on the back before turning to J.T. "Let's get TAC out and into position. Tell them Bright leaves the precinct in twenty."

"Okay." On the way out of the conference room J.T. passed Malcolm and smacked him on the arm, "You got this."

Malcolm smiled at him, "Thanks, J.T."

Gil took another sip of his coffee, "Anything else you need?"

"I don't think so," Malcolm murmured, not really focused on the question.

"I'll give you a minute then. They're pulling your car around to the front."

"Okay. Thank you, Gil." Malcolm watched as the lieutenant headed for the conference room door. Before he exited he turned.

"Good luck, Bright."

Malcolm half grinned continued running his pitch over in his head.

It had been a while since Malcolm had actually driven a car. The black BMW they gave him for the cover was quite luxurious, but it still took him a minute to get re acclimated to being behind the wheel. By the time he made his way through the city traffic, it was over a half an hour to get to the club. When he arrived it was only 6:30. That was the point, to get there before it opened. As he parked the car, Malcolm's hands were slightly shaky. He took a moment to breathe a few times and calm his nerves before exiting the vehicle and walking up to the door.

_Be confident,_ he coached himself as he rang the buzzer by the door.

"Delivery entrance is around the back," an irritated phantom voice informed.

"I'm not a delivery guy," Malcolm replied.

"Club doesn't open for another two hours."

"I'm aware. I'd like to speak with Mr. Bennet. I've got something he's going to want to see." _Confidence, a little intrigue._

After a few seconds of silence the voice returned, "Come to the delivery entrance. Through the alley, and around the back."

_That doesn't seem sketchy at all._

Malcolm made his way down the alley, and turned the corner. The delivery door was at the top of a small cement ramp. He walked up it and knocked; no one answered. He resisted the urge to keep looking behind him. If they were watching him, he needed to appear nonchalant. A minute passed and he knocked a second time. The door swung open toward Malcolm so quickly that he had to jump backward to keep from getting hit. When he looked up, a startlingly large man was standing in the doorway with his arm extended. The gun in his hand was about six inches away from Malcolm's forehead.

"Who the hell are you?"


	2. Chapter 2

Text

"Who the hell are you?" The impressively large man behind the gun pointed at Malcolm's forehead wanted answers. Malcolm raised his hands in front of his chest to show he meant no threat.

_Use your real first name. It helps eliminate you accidentally not responding._ J.T.'s advice echoed in his head.

"My name is Malcolm Walker. I'm a businessman of sorts, a fan of your boss' work. And I have something he's definitely going to want to see."

"Oh you think so?"

"I absolutely do. May I reach into my pocket to show you?" The man nodded slowly, moving slightly closer with the gun as a warning. Malcolm reached into the breast pocket of his suit jacket and retrieved one of the cartridges of ammo. He held it up between his index finger and thumb to showcase it. The gun in his face gradually lowered, as the man held out his other hand. Malcolm placed the cartridge in the open palm and watched as the man inspected it.

"Wait here," he said, as he turned and slammed the door behind him.

_I think that went well,_ Malcolm thought. He laced his fingers together in front of him as he waited.

A few minutes later the man returned and opened the door. "Come in."

Malcolm obliged and entered. The door led to the storage room, wall to wall shelving of countless types of beer, wine, and liquor.

"Hands up," the man instructed as he pulled a small device from his pocket. Malcolm obeyed and he scanned for signal transmitters. When he found none, he motioned to Malcolm, "Follow me." They exited the storage room into the main area of the club. The ceiling was about twenty feet high and to Malcolm's left was a long bar area. The mirrored wall behind it had shelves of bottles going up at least fifteen feet. Across from them was a stage with just enough room for a DJ and their equipment. Along the wall to the right was an elevated section of half moon booths with coffee tables placed in the center, clearly the VIP section. Behind them were numerous walk up tables where those who needed a break from the dance floor could socialize. Above those tables there was a section of mirrored glass that ran from the ceiling down about ten feet.

_The office. _

Malcolm followed the man as he led him to a door he hadn't noticed to the right of a booth in the VIP section; through it was a set of stairs. Once it closed behind them, the man turned to face Malcolm, his gun again drawn, and motioned for Malcolm to lead them up the stairs. As they climbed, Malcolm reviewed his pitch in his head. He wasn't overly concerned with the gun behind him. Just as J.T. had predicted, they were trying to intimidate him. When they reached the small landing at the top of the stairs Malcolm waited. The man reached around him and knocked on the door.

"Come in," a male voice from behind it beckoned. The man opened the door and nudged Malcolm forward. The office was spacious, with floor to ceiling windows looking out into the club. There was a couch and various chairs positioned at angles to see the dance floor and stage. Against the back wall was a large mahogany desk. A man in a suit, who looked to be in his late thirties with bronze-colored skin, was sitting behind the desk looking over paperwork. Malcolm recognized Luca Morales immediately from the files he'd studied. Leaning on the desk next to him, also examining the papers, was Dani.

As Malcolm was escorted to the opposite side of the desk, Dani raised her head. For a fleeting moment her eyes looked as though she had seen a ghost. She quickly masked her shock and straightened into a standing position. Beside Malcolm, the man kept the gun in his hand but held it at his side.

Behind the desk, Luca leaned back in his chair. "Mr. Walker is it?"

"It is," Malcolm replied. He crossed his arms at his hips and held one wrist with the opposite hand. He glanced briefly at Dani before returning his focus to Morales.

"Damian tells me you have something that might interest us, Mr. Walker."

"I do." He looked at the man next to him for permission, "If I may?" Malcolm fished another cartridge out of his breast pocket and sat it upright on the desk in front of him. Dani furrowed her eyebrows slightly in silent question, as Luca leaned forawrd to retrieve the ammo and inspect it.

"What you're looking at is a 5.7 mil 40 grain steel core work of art," Malcolm began. "From a pistol alone, they will penetrate armor at fifteen yards. Put these in something more powerful, and they'll slice through kevlar like hot butter."

Luca continued to examine the cartridge, turning it over in his hands. Malcolm could tell he was trying to hide how impressed he was.

"And you have more of these you are looking to sell?"

"Many more," Malcolm teased. Dani's eyes were continuously questioning him. He could feel her trying to put the pieces together. As Luca was focused on the ammo in his hand, Malcolm risked another look in her direction. Their eyes met and he raised his eyebrows ever so slightly while barely tilting his head to the side. Then they both swiftly found other things to focus on.

Morales spent a few moments continuing to look at the cartridge. Then he sat it back on the desk. "It's interesting to me that you just so happened to seek us out, with this unbelievable hardware." Luca sat up in his chair, his arms in front of him, gesturing as he spoke. "It seems a little suspect to me."

Next to Malcolm, Damian raised the gun again. It was practically touching the profiler's left temple. Malcolm instantly whipped his left hand up behind the gun while bringing the right around to grab the Damian's wrist. In one swift motion he wrapped his left hand around the barrel, while squeezing a pressure point Damian's wrist, and wrenched the weapon out of his hand. Once he had the gun, Malcolm immediately proceeded to completely field strip it down to its individual parts, dropping each piece on the desk as he finished.

"Do your men always stand so close to someone that they can be easily disarmed?" he asked, smugly.

Dani was absolutely stunned, her mouth slightly agape. Luca, on the other hand wasn't quite as pleased. Even though his outward appearance was calm and collected, the rage behind his eyes was evident. Whether the rage was directed at Malcolm for his boldness or Damian for his stupidity, was anyone's guess.

Malcolm continued, "If you're not interested in what I have to offer, please just say so. I'd be happy to leave and sell my product to one of the innumerable buyers I'll have no trouble finding in this city. I chose you, because I have, or had, an abundance of respect for how the Niners do business. Clearly my admiration was misplaced." With that, Malcolm stepped around Damian and headed toward the door.

"Wait," Luca requested. Malcolm turned to face him. "I apologize for my abrupt conclusion. Would you please give us the room for a moment?"

Malcolm nodded and exited the room, shutting the door behind him. When he reached the landing outside the door he leaned on the guardrail; adrenaline was surging through his system. He took multiple cleansing breaths and tried to steady his shaking hands. Just as he stood back up, the door to the office opened and Damian gestured for him to re enter.

Luca was now standing by the glass wall. "I've just spoken to my boss, Mr. Walker. He's very intrigued by what you have to offer." He turned to face Malcolm. "Mr. Bennet invites you to join him in his private booth this evening here at Diablo. He looks forward to discussing a potential business partnership."

"As do I," Malcolm replied. "What time should I return?"

"Nine. Tell the doorman the password: 'Genghis'. He will see that you are escorted to Mr. Bennet's booth. If you don't mind, please exit the way you came. Better not to draw attention to our dealings." Malcolm nodded in agreement. "Dani, please escort Mr. Walker back to the service entrance."

"Of course," Dani obliged. She opened the door for Malcolm to exit the office and the two of them headed silently down the stairs and out the door leading into the club. She walked next to Malcolm, neither of them speaking until they reached the storage room. As soon as the door into the room closed behind them Dani put her finger to her mouth indicating that Malcolm shouldn't speak. She quickly checked the room for any other workers before she returned and began frantically whispering.

"What the hell is going on? Where's J.T.? Is he okay?"

"J.T.'s fine. Apparently he has arrested goliath up there a few times. They almost scrapped the whole ammunitions op over it."

"So they sent you instead?" Dani wasn't attempting to sound insulting, but it came out that way all the same.

"Why does no one remember I used to be a field agent?!" Malcolm whisper-yelled.

Dani grinned, "After that move you pulled up there, I definitely do. That was pretty impressive, Mr. Walker." She exaggerated the faux last name.

Malcolm smiled at the compliment, "Why thank you, Ms. Moore. Actually, I haven't done that in a very long time. Good thing it worked."

The two of them smiled and stood in silence for a moment periodically making eye contact then looking away. Finally Dani said, "Well, I'd better get back."

"Yeah. I need to go too." Malcolm admitted reluctantly.

"See you later though."

"Nine o'clock."

Dani disappeared back into the club and Malcolm made his way back to his car via the alley detour. When he got in, he took another long, deep breath and smiled before he turned the ignition and headed back to the precinct.

On the drive back to Diablo Malcolm couldn't help but laugh at J.T.'s reaction when he told him about disarming Damian and dropping the separated pieces of his weapon on Luca's desk.

"_Bullshit. You did not," the detective scoffed._

"_I did actually. You should've seen Dani's face."_

As he walked up to the door of the club, however, Malcolm was all business. He knew he needed to appear arrogant, so he attempted to walk right past the doorman, who immediately put his hand on Malcolm's chest.

"Line's that way," the doorman pointed at the people standing against the side of the building.

Malcolm looked down at the hand on his chest and then slowly back up at the doorman. "I'm here to see Mr. Bennet."

"Are you? Password?" the man asked skeptically.

Malcolm straightened his jacked and cuffs, "Genghis."

"My apologies, sir." He radioed someone and reached for the door. "Dani will show you to your seat," he added as he opened it. Music flowed out of the door like a tidal wave and engulfed Malcolm the second he stepped foot into the building. The base vibrated deep into his chest and throughout his body.

Dani smiled as she walked up to him, and leaned in to his ear so Malcolm could hear her. Despite her cheerful appearance, her tone when she spoke was dire, "We have a problem." She backed away and discretely looked around to make sure no one was watching them. Malcolm furrowed his eyebrows, concerned and Dani leaned back in, "Bennet has a portable hard drive in his office with the names and addresses of every cop in the NYPD that's a detective or higher. It was delivered after you left earlier."

_Holy shit._

Dani pulled back again, a professional smile on her face, but panic in her eyes. This time she turned and led him through the crowd on the dance floor. Malcolm was rattled. It took him the entirety of the walk through the masses to recompose himself and get focused on the face to face with Bennet. They climbed the few stairs up to the elevated booths and Dani directed Malcolm to the correct one. No one else was there yet.

_He wants to make an entrance._

Dani moved closer to him again, "We have to figure out a way to get that hard drive, tonight."

Malcolm nodded in agreement.

"You want something to drink? Whiskey, right?"

Again Malcolm nodded and Dani left him alone in the booth. At first he stared, unfocused at the crowd, trying desperately to think of a way to get into the office unnoticed. After a few minutes of unproductive brainstorming, he refocused his mind on the first task at hand: sell Bennet on the ammo partnership.

Dani brought back his drink and sat it on the table, "I think I might have an idea," she said. "If I ask you to dance later, go with it."

Malcolm was intrigued. He agreed and took a sip from his glass. As he did, three men made their way up the stairs and to the booth. A tall, well-dressed man in his forties led the group while Luca and Damian followed closely behind him.

"I see Dani has taken good care of you." Ezra Bennet greeted Malcolm with an outstretched hand. He too had bronze skin, but where Luca's was all the lighter shades, this man's complexion was all the richest tones of the color. "It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Walker."

Malcolm stood and shook his hand, "Likewise Mr. Bennet."

"Please sit," Ezra gestured to the booth, "we have much to talk about."


	3. Chapter 3

Malcolm sat back down and picked up his drink as Ezra, Luca and Damian joined him. He sipped the whiskey and waited for Bennet to make the first move.

After a few moments of Bennet eyeing Malcolm critically, he turned to Damian. "This is the man you let disarm and embarrass you?" he laughed. Damian glared at Malcolm.

_That's probably going to come back to haunt me_, he thought.

To Malcolm's surprise, Bennet stood. "It's too loud to talk here, let's take this to my office." He turned to Luca and Damian, "You two stay here."

Malcolm took one more sip of his drink, sat it on the table, and followed Ezra back up the staircase and into his office. As soon as they entered, Malcolm's eyes went to the desk. Bennet's laptop was sitting open, a flash drive plugged into the side.

_He's already downloaded the addresses._

Bennet walked over to two leather chairs overlooking the club happenings below them, and gestured for Malcolm to take the one opposite him.

"Mr. Walker I'm not the kind of man to beat around the bush. I am very much interested in your product. However, I am also a cautious man when it comes to the people I surround myself with."

Malcolm didn't respond. He waited for Bennet to continue.

"The circumstances under which you appeared at my door today are somewhat unconventional in our line of work."

J.T.'s comment immediately popped into Malcolm's head: _I think unconventional is what's going to work for Bright. _

_Make unconventional work._

"When I see an incredible opportunity, I don't wait to act. I apologize if I caused any issue by showing up here unannounced. That wasn't my intention."

Bennet waived him off, "You didn't. As I said, you simply have a bolder approach than we are accustomed to." He paused for a moment before adding, "I like that."

Malcolm suppressed a grin at the compliment, "So, I take it you're interested?"

Bennet sat back comfortably in his chair, "I am. Dependent upon your asking price, of course."

"250k. 200 rounds," Malcolm replied.

Bennet showed no reaction to the fee. "Your delivery date?"

"In your hands in seven days."

"And if I want more than 200 rounds?" Bennet asked, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his thighs.

"That is absolutely open for discussion," Malcolm smiled.

"Good." Bennet rested his thumb under his chin, as his index finger absent-mindedly ran across his lips for a moment. "You know, Luca was quite impressed with how quickly you took Damian's weapon. That might actually be worth going through the camera footage to see," he laughed.

_Damn. Of course the office has a camera. _

Bennet continued, "None of my men have that type of weapon control. Can you shoot them as impressively as you disassemble them?"

"If I couldn't, I'd be in the wrong profession," Malcolm boasted.

Bennet chuckled at the response. Afterward he hesitated for a moment, clearly thinking about what he was about to say "Then, I have a condition, well an addition to the offer really."

Malcolm raised his eyebrows in question.

"I want you to train my men. I will buy additional rounds for training purposes. Teach them how to take their gun apart and put it back together, how to disarm someone the way you did, how to stand and shoot correctly. I want lethal precision." He stared at Malcolm for a moment. "Obviously you will be well compensated for your efforts." Ezra placed his hands rather dramatically on the arms of the leather chair, "What do you think?"

_You can't refuse. If you do, he walks away and the op's busted. _

"I think we have a deal," Malcolm answered.

Bennet smiled from ear to ear, stood and extended his hand in agreement. Malcolm shook it firmly, as Bennet used his other arm to pat him on the shoulder, "I think this will prove to be a lucrative partnership, Malcolm."

Malcolm agreed and Bennet gestured toward the office door, "Come. This calls for some celebration." The two men made their way back to the VIP booth and sat down. Dani approached them to see if they wanted anything to drink.

They each ordered, then Bennet addressed Luca and Damian, while Dani lingered, attempting to hear news of the meeting. "Gentlemen, I'm pleased to report that we have agreed to terms and will be going into business with Mr. Walker." Dani peeked at Malcolm as she made her way down the small staircase. He was already looking at her, a small hint of a grin on his face. She returned a half grin of congratulations before she disappeared into the dancers.

"She is beautiful isn't she?" Bennet pointed out.

Malcolm hadn't meant stare as long as he did; he had gotten lost in thought. Now he was unsure how to answer Bennet's question.

He chose honesty, "Yes. She is."

Bennet grinned, "And feisty. I like a woman with a bit of fight in her."

Malcolm looked down at his hands and stifled a laugh, _You have no idea._

"She's been watching you too, you know," Bennet continued. Malcolm attempted to look unsurprised yet flattered nonetheless. "I'm not typically the type of person to mix business with pleasure, Malcolm. But if you can separate the two better than I can," he gestured toward Dani who had returned with a tray full of their drinks, "feel free."

Malcolm smirked at Bennet's blessing. When Dani sat Malcolm's drink down, she deliberately eyed him flirtatiously. He returned the gaze, before she walked away, looking back over her shoulder as she left.

Bennet smiled at Malcolm and raised his glass, "to new partnerships." The innuendo was not lost on Malcolm as he raised his own and took a drink.

Over half an hour had passed since Malcolm and Bennet returned from the office, it was close to midnight. The four men in the booth sat, people watching and sipping their drinks, occasionally commenting on something humorous or telling an entertaining story. Malcolm was quite pleased with Bennet's reception of him.

_You're in, _he thought, _Now don't screw it up._

After a short while, Dani returned to check on them. Having had a few drinks already, Bennet wiggled his eyebrows at Malcolm upon her return. He couldn't suppress his laugh this time. When Dani asked if they needed anything, they all declined. Then she walked over to Malcolm and sat next to him in the booth.

Once again she leaned in next to his ear and said, "I think I have a plan." Malcolm knew they were being watched by Bennet and his men, so he grinned and reacted as though she'd said something charming. Dani stood and held out her hand for him to take. Malcolm sipped his drink again, sat the glass on the table, and took her hand, following her out to the dance floor.

Dani made sure to stay on the edge of the dance floor, in clear view of Bennet and Morales. The two of them moved with beat. She was pleasantly surprised at Malcolm's actual ability to dance. For whatever reason she was convinced that this wouldn't be something he could do well. She was definitely wrong.

Malcolm leaned closer to her, his back to the booths, "I saw the drive in his computer. He's already downloaded the info." He was confused when he looked at Dani and she didn't return his concern, but instead shook her head. As the bass pounded, she made sure her back was to her boss as she responded, "He's old school. Paranoid the feds are going to hack him. Everything is saved on portable drives, nothing on a cloud or his actual computer. He said it's easier to dispose of evidence that way."

Malcolm was thrilled with their stroke of luck. "So what's the plan? There's at least one camera in his office."

Dani nodded. "There's no way either one of us is getting into his office unseen." Malcolm agreed. "But, I think Bennet might let it slide if," she paused for a second and looked away.

"If?" he coaxed.

"If he thought we were hooking up," she finished, deliberately not looking him in the eye. For a moment Malcolm completely stopped dancing. That was definitely not what he was expecting her to say. She tapped his arm and he resumed his movements again. Dani raised her head, "It's the only way I can think of that he might let us in there, and _not _come to see what we're doing."

She had a valid point. He'd spent a lot of time trying to figure out a scenario in which they manage to get into Bennet's office uninterrupted, to no avail. Honestly, it was kind of genius. Literally the only shot they had that he might overlook their presence.

After a few moment's deliberation Malcolm spoke, "I think you're right."

"Okay," Dani replied. "There's cameras with mics in the office and the stairwell. So we can't say anything we don't want heard. That also means we're going to have to seriously sell what we're doing. Like Oscar-level faking it."

Malcolm's throat suddenly felt as though there was a giant lump in it. He attempted to swallow with little success.

Dani continued, "And we need to get to the desk." Malcolm understood her intentions and nodded as the song shifted. It was slightly slower than the previous one, the voice of the singer was sultry and seductive, and the bass line pulsated at all the right moments. "Good?" Dani asked.

Again, Malcolm nodded and Dani moved in closer to him. She wrapped her arms around his neck as she moved her body in rhythm with the song. Malcolm's hands found her waist as he swayed with her. Dani turned, pressing her back against him. She quickly glanced up at the booths and wrapped her left arm back up around Malcolm's neck. Bennet was watching them intently. Malcolm's hands glided across Dani's dress to her stomach, as she turned her head to see him behind her. Dani pulled him toward her and he leaned in to kiss her. The first kiss was simple, brief. Then, Dani's left hand fisted the hair at the nape of Malcolm's neck, and the second kiss was far deeper than the first. Her tongue found his and Malcolm's pulse elevated immediately. When this kiss broke, Dani stopped dancing and took his hand, leading him up the few stairs to the VIP section.

Malcolm released her hand for a moment, and Dani turned, confused. She watched as he walked over to Bennet's booth, picked up his whiskey, and downed the remaining contents in one gulp. "Gentlemen," he said, acknowledging the three men in the booth. Bennet smirked at him as he returned to Dani, again taking her hand.

She led him to the door behind the last booth and looked at him before she opened it, her eyebrows raised, asking if he was ready. Malcolm nodded and Dani silently mouthed "sell it" as she opened the door.

As soon as it closed behind them, Malcolm pushed her up against the wall at the foot of the stairs. They hit a little harder than he had intended. Still, his hands found her jawlines and he kissed her with intensity. Dani returned the kiss with equal measure as Malcolm pressed his body against her. He released her lips and trailed kisses down her cheek to her neck. When his lips found the sensitive spot just below her ear, Dani exhaled sharply and pulled him closer. The sound sent a chill through Malcolm. With his face buried in her neck, he quickly realized how easy it was to get lost in a moment like this. He was starting to lose track of when he was faking it and when he wasn't. He tried to right himself as he continued.

Dani guided his head back up to hers and kissed him once more. Malcolm brought his hands up to the wall on both sides of her head, their bodies flush. Again, he got lost in the kiss, Dani's tongue dancing with his, her taste, and he pushed himself against her with greater force. This time it was his turn to exhale heavily, the added friction between the two of them was doing serious things to him. When he realized it, Malcolm pulled himself back a bit, and looked at Dani. Her breaths were coming just as quickly as his, but her expression was difficult to read. She seemed somewhat confused as she again took his hand and led him up the stairs.

Malcolm took a deep breath to try and calm himself before they entered the room. He chuckled inwardly when he noticed Dani was doing the same thing. She opened the door and the two of them stepped into Bennet's office. As Malcolm closed the door behind them, Dani's eyes went to the computer on the desk and the the small drive plugged into the side of it. Once she confirmed it was still there, she slowly turned to face Malcolm and watched as he did the same scan she just had. She smiled at him and closed the distance between them.

When she walked up to him, Dani playfully grabbed Malcolm's tie and pulled him into another kiss. With her hands on his chest, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into him. In the midst of the kiss something changed. Dani, who had been tense in his arms, suddenly melted into him. The kiss shifted from slightly forced to sensual and passionate. Without breaking the contact between them, Dani reached up and pulled his tie loose, tossing it aside. Then she snaked her hands up his chest and under his jacket, pushing it back off of his shoulders. Malcolm shook it the rest of the way off and let it fall to the floor behind him.

Their eyes met and the intensity behind Dani's stare ignited a fire in Malcolm's core. He grabbed her and pushed her backward until she hit the desk. When he lifted her up on to it, she wrapped her legs around him and began unbuttoning his shirt. She got halfway finished before she pulled the shirt out of his pants. He was losing himself again; Malcolm recognized the hunger clouding his mind, but couldn't stop it from happening. His hands found Dani's thighs and ran up them, pushing the hem of her dress up as they went. He kissed her again and she scooted to the edge of the desk, wrapping her legs tighter around his hips. His right hand left her thigh and caressed its way up Dani's hips, to her waist, then continued up her back. Malcolm shifted his attention to her neck again and kissed from her jawline to her collarbone. When he did, Dani involuntarily moaned and jerked her hips, grinding against him.

The sensation sent a bolt of lightning through Malcolm and he pushed against her, relishing in the contact between them. Dani wrapped her arms around his neck again and whispered softly in his ear, "sell it," while one of her hands snaked between them and tapped on his belt buckle. "Keep your shirt down, and buttoned," she added, nibbling on his earlobe afterward. A shiver ran down Malcolm's spine.

He backed away from her just enough to undo his belt and pants, letting them fall to the floor. He kept one of his hands between them, pretending to position himself correctly. Then, he slowly pressed against Dani. She wasn't joking about selling it. When Malcolm rubbed against her she inhaled sharply as though he had actually entered her. Malcolm followed her example, and let out a small moan. After pausing for a moment, he rocked his hips back and forth, slowly at first. Dani responded by scooting closer to him, forcing continuous contact between the two of them. With nothing but two thin pieces of fabric between them, Malcolm could feel her warmth, her arousal, as he thrust against her. The fact that she was turned on as much as he was was intoxicating.

Dani brought her arms to his neck, fisting his hair, while he was grinding her. Occasionally she would let small sounds escape her lips: tiny moans, hisses as she inhaled quickly. Malcolm did the same, although none of them really required any acting on his part. Dani pulled him forward as she lay back on the desk. He braced himself, his arms at either side of her head, and resumed rubbing against her. Malcolm had completely forgotten their reason for being in the office. All that mattered was continuing to elicit those sounds from Dani.

Every time she made a noise Malcolm thought for sure it would be his undoing. He buried his face in her neck, unable to silence another moan. He felt the beginnings of his climax building, as he thrust harder against her. When he did so, she gasped, and he lifted his head quickly, thinking he had hurt her. He couldn't have been more wrong. Dani was lying beneath him, eyes closed, biting her lip, arms grasping above her for anything she could grab ahold of. It was absolutely the most erotic thing he had ever seen in his entire life. Malcolm continued his rhythm and her moans turned into hushed yeses. He was close himself and sped up his pace, trying desperately to earn her climax. She was pushing up against him, grinding with him, her breathing was hitched and sporadic. Finally she peaked, and whispered his name as she did. Hearing her say his name was all it took for Malcolm to follow her; waves of pleasure washed over him as he finished. When he did Dani's right arm, resting above her head after the euphoria, discreetly found the drive in the side of the computer. She pulled it out and concealed it in her palm.

Malcolm was still bracing himself above Dani. Though he never looked in that direction, he smiled at her little covert op nonetheless. She looked up at him and returned his grin. As they both started to come down from the high, the realization of what had just happened began to hit them both.

Neither of them had intended for anything other than the faux tryst to occur. The reality of what happened, however, was…

_Amazing, _Malcolm thought as he lifted himself off of Dani and redressed himself. He wondered what her thoughts on the matter were.

Dani stood, the drive still hidden in her hand, pulled the hem of her dress back down, and fixed her hair as best she could. She bent over and picked up Malcolm's tie for him as he grabbed his jacket off of the floor. Neither of them made eye contact with each other as he tied his tie and made sure he looked presentable. He opened the door to the stairwell for Dani and she led the way down. As soon as they stepped through the second door back into the club, Bennet's eyes were on them. Dani reached out and took Malcolm's hand. He turned to her and she kissed him one final time, before walking down the steps and into the mass of people.

Malcolm tightened his hand and turned his head toward Bennet, who raised his glass in approval, laughing. As he returned to the men in the booth, Malcolm slipped the drive into his pocket.


	4. Chapter 4

A few quick Author's Notes:

I've had 5 people DM me on Tumblr to ask if there was a particular song I thought of when Malcolm and Dani were dancing/getting heated last chapter. Any why yes there was! Skin" by Rihanna. If you haven't listened to it is currently at the top of my sexiest songs list.

Let it be known ,this is going to be a longer (likely much longer) story than my previous "Breaking Point". Hopefully that's happy news! But just so you know, I'm not ignoring any of the whumptastic tags for this story, it will happen lovelies. I promise. Thanks so much for reading. You are rockstars!

Malcolm sat at the bar in his kitchen, leaning his forehead against his laced hands, eyes closed. For once in his life his body was desperate to sleep and, naturally, other responsibilities took precedence. It was 3:30 in the morning; he was mentally and physically exhausted, for more reasons than one. Despite his best efforts, one of those reasons was continuously playing on loop in his head. No matter what he did, he couldn't get the image of Dani beneath him out of his mind. It was a glorious torture.

Gil was standing opposite Malcolm at the bar. To Gil's left, J.T. was leaning back against the kitchen counter, looking equally as unthrilled about their meeting time as Malcolm felt. Now that they were under with Bennet, Malcolm and Dani couldn't risk being seen at the precinct. They had to find off site meeting spots. Malcolm was beyond grateful that they had decided to meet at his apartment. At least he didn't have to travel back home after this.

An NYPD I.T. officer was seated next to Malcolm. He was furiously typing on the laptop in front of him, which had Bennet's drive plugged into the side of it.

"Okay. So, we have all the information from the drive saved. I'm creating a false address document and putting it back on the drive. Only now, every time he tries to open the document, it will error and close the program," the man said.

Gil was skeptical, "There's no way he would be able to get access to the addresses now?"

"No sir. They're completely removed from the drive. As long as the data wasn't saved to any of his personal devices, we're good."

"And Dani was confident that he hadn't saved the information?" Gil turned to Malcolm, who hadn't moved a muscle.

Malcolm replied without looking up or opening his eyes, "Yes. She said he was paranoid about being hacked by the feds and kept everything on separate drives that could be disposed of easily."

The I.T. officer pulled the drive from his computer and handed it to Gil, who thanked him and walked him to the door. When Gil returned, he sat the drive on the counter next to Malcolm.

"Make sure Dani gets that back ASAP."

Malcolm agreed.

Gil stared at the drive and his expression shifted to slightly confused. "Walk me through this again. When you got to the club for the evening, Dani told you Bennet had this drive?"

Malcolm raised his head and blinked through heavy lids, "Correct."

"How exactly did you get into his office to steal it?"

In a flash, the image of Dani lying on the desk, under him popped into Malcolm's head. The way her legs felt wrapped around him. How her teeth grazed her bottom lip as she bit it. The sound of her whispering his name echoed in his ears.

"Bright?" Malcolm shook his head as Gil's voice broke his trance. "You okay?"

"Yeah. I'm fine. Just tired."

"So, how did you get the drive from Bennet's office?" Gil continued.

"Dani got it."

_Not a lie_, Malcolm thought.

"Dani got it... how?"

"She was in his office, came back down, and handed it off to me - unseen -" he added, when he saw the question practically climbing out of Gil's mouth, "when she returned."

Malcolm rubbed his face with his hands,_ Still not a lie. _When he looked back up, his mentor was staring daggers at him, his brows furrowed.

"What?" Malcolm asked, attempting to look as innocent as he could.

"I'm just waiting," Gil retorted, crossing his arms, "for the rest of the story."

"There is no rest of the story. She went into his office, got the drive, and gave it to me back in the club. The end."

_Lie number one._

Gil knew Malcolm wasn't telling the truth. The frustration on his face was far from concealed as he refused to let up, "Are there cameras in his office?"

Malcolm leaned back in the chair, sighing. "Yes."

"Was she seen on them?" Gil's voice was slowly getting louder.

"Do I look like Dani, Gil? Ask her." The aggravated response escaped from Malcolm before he could filter it. He was exhausted and sick of skirting the questions.

Gil stared at him, surprised by the outburst.

J.T. took the opportunity to change the subject before things got more heated. "Bennet took the bait though?"

Malcolm gave him an appreciative look when he responded, "Yes. 250 thousand for 200 rounds. But he wants more than just the 200. He immediately asked about the possibility of getting more ammo, and mentioned buying additional rounds for when I train his men."

"I'm sorry, train?" Gil asked, as he placed his hands on the counter top and leaned closer to Malcolm, awaiting a response.

Malcolm realized, in all the commotion about the hard drive, he hadn't even mentioned Bennet's 'condition' to his team yet. "Yeah, that. Bennet had a condition for the deal to go through. He wants me to train his men."

J.T. reacted first, "Train them to... what exactly?"

"Have better weapon control, disarm people the way I did Damian, and shoot with, and I quote, 'lethal precision'."

"And you agreed to that?! Jesus, Bright!" Gil pushed off of the counter and walked to the other side of the kitchen in exasperation.

"What did you want me to do, Gil?" Malcolm held his palms out in front of him in frustration. "Say no and burn the entire op?"

Once again, J.T. came to Malcolm's defence. "Bennet threw a curveball, Boss. Any one of us would have agreed, to save the op. You know that. Bright made the right call."

Gil glared at his detective, but J.T. stood his ground. Slowly Gil's irritation subsided. "When exactly are you supposed to start training these guys?"

"Tomorrow. Monday tomorrow. I told him I'd need a day to prepare."

"You got that right. When was the last time you actually shot a gun?"

Malcolm paused. He honestly couldn't answer the question; a few cases before he was fired from the bureau.

"My point," Gil replied to Malcolm's silence. "Get some rest, we're headed to the range," he looked at his watch and groaned, "in 7 hours."

Malcolm stood and nodded in agreement. J.T. walked by him on the way out. "Oh, I can't wait to see this," he teased, patting him on the shoulder as he went.

As soon as the door was locked, Malcolm collapsed onto his bed, suit and shoes still on. He was asleep less than a minute after his head hit the pillow.

Malcolm sipped his coffee and ran his thumb and index finger across his eyebrows. He managed to get a few hours of sleep before the dreams started. They began as replays of what had happened between him and Dani in Bennet's office, so vivid he could still smell her perfume. Each time he woke up aroused and panting, his pulse racing. The last one, however, had been different entirely:

_He and Dani were in his bed, bodies entwined, sounds of pleasure filling his apartment. She gasped and he lifted his head from her neck, expecting to see her in a state of bliss. Instead he saw a pool of blood spreading quickly from under her body. He searched her for a wound, as she begged him to help her. _

_"Malcolm, please." _

_"I'm trying, Dani. Where is it?" He said frantically, rolling her over. Her skin was smooth and untouched, yet his hands were covered in her blood. There was no wound to be found; still the pool beneath her was increasing. _

_She was trying desperately to breathe, but started choking. Blood spilled slowly out of her mouth, in a trail that ran down her chin. _

_"Dani!" Malcolm didn't know what to do. He kept searching for the source, but never found it. She coughed one last time, exhaled with a rattle, and her eyes stilled. _

_"Dani?" He shook her. "DANI!" She didn't respond, her body limp. _

Malcolm woke screaming, drenched in sweat and gasping for breath. It was 6:30. He decided to get up and shower, fearful he might return to the nightmare if he risked sleep again. Now he sat at the counter, his second cup of coffee in front of him, trying unsuccessfully to free himself of the vision of Dani, dead in his bed.

The sound of the buzzer by his door surprised him and Malcolm flinched, spilling some of the coffee onto his hand. He grabbed a towel and went to the door.

"Yeah?" he said haphazardly into the intercom.

"Hey. It's Dani." Malcolm froze. "Gil said you had the drive."

"Uh, yeah. Come on up." He pressed the button on the intercom and unlocked his door. When she knocked, he took a breath before opening it. "Hi." He said, trying desperately not to picture her in either of the circumstances his subconscious had shown him overnight.

"Hi," She replied, briefly making eye contact before picking at her shirt. "You have the drive?"

"Yes. Come in." He grabbed the drive from the counter and turned, reaching his hand out to give it to her. She took it, and examined it studiously in her hands, still avoiding eye contact with him. Malcolm, on the other hand, couldn't stop staring at her. He wanted to say something, anything to her. But try as he may, he couldn't think of a single thing.

Dani shifted her weight back and forth between her legs a few times before finally glancing up at him, then immediately looking away. "Okay. Well I should probably get going." She turned to exit.

Without thinking, Malcolm reached out and grabbed her hand to stop her. "Wait." Just touching her was enough to cause his heart rate to spike.

_What the hell? Get it together, Bright._

He dropped her hand as soon as she turned toward him. Malcolm cleared his throat and lifted his head, forcing himself to look her in the eyes. "Dani, we need to talk about last night."

She returned his gaze, swallowed anxiously, and thought for a minute. "I honestly don't know what to say."

Malcolm tried to read her expression, profile her body language and mannerisms. _Nothing._

"Then I'll start." He licked his lips and took a breath. "What took place in Bennet's office was not my original intention. Things started happening and... in my head, I let lines blur. Once that happened… it just felt…"

_Real, _he thought, looking away from her.

"Intense," Dani finished.

Malcolm glanced up, huffed, and agreed "Yeah. Very intense." His head flooded with the sounds they made as they were pressed against each other. He closed his eyes slowly, trying to push them away.

"That's the thing, Bright," Dani looked as though she was struggling with whether or not to continue. After a moment she resumed. "I don't let myself lose control like that. But last night… the things you were doing... everything felt so... intense and amazing. Nothing else mattered except maintaining that feeling. If you would have given any sign of wanting to take it further, I would've immediately - without a second thought."

"Me too," Malcolm confessed.

"That scares me," she admitted.

"Me too." Malcolm took a step closer to her without even realizing it.

"But at the same time, I can't st-" she quit mid-sentence, afraid of Malcolm's response to what remained.

"You can't stop thinking about it?" he completed. Dani nodded, refusing to look at him. "I know. Neither can I."

"I just don't know what to do with all of this. It's a lot, you know?"

Malcolm laughed nervously, "I sincerely hope you don't expect me to have any idea what I'm doing in this particular arena."

Dani smiled, which turned into a giggle. "Good point." The two of them stood there, comfortable in their proximity and togetherness for the first time since Dani had arrived.

"This aside," Malcolm was gesturing between the two of them, "what do you want to do about when we're at Bennet's?"

"What do you mean?"

"How do you want us to act around Bennet?"

Dani hadn't thought about that, "Well he's probably expecting one of two things: a) we hooked up and are going to continue to hook up or b) we hooked up and have no intention of interacting ever again." Malcolm tilted his head in agreement with her breakdown. "If we want to be able to talk to each other and not look suspicious around him, we should probably play it like we're still interested in each other."

"Got it," Malcolm replied. "Fair warning, my flirting skills are practically non existent."

"Eh, they're not as bad as you think they are," Dani teased. She looked at her phone, "I really should go though. I need to get this back into Bennet's computer before he gets there."

"Be careful," Malcolm said as he walked her to the door. It wasn't an instruction she needed, he knew that. It was more about telling her she mattered to him, without actually saying it.

"I will." She gave him a quick wave goodbye and headed down the stairs.

Malcolm closed the door and smiled.

Dani let herself into the club via the delivery entrance. She typically got there about three hours before they opened the doors to prep. Bennet rarely ever beat her there when it was that much later in the day. She was confident she was alone in the building this early in the morning. Still, the cameras would see her and she had a plan for that. Next to the door entering the club was a shelf with cleaning products and a small caddy. She placed the drive inside it and headed out into the main floor area.

When she opened the door to the stairway, she couldn't help but think of how it felt when Malcolm practically threw her against the wall and kissed her. She never expected him to be so forceful in a situation like that. Honestly she had never thought about how he would act in any sexual situation before last night. Now she couldn't seem to stop thinking about it. His passion and intensity was heady and overwhelming.

Dani opened the door to Bennet's office, still distracted from the thoughts about Malcolm. She was halfway to the desk before she even noticed the figure sitting in one of the leather chairs. Her feet froze instantly.

Bennet rose slowly and faced her, "Hello, Dani."


	5. Chapter 5

"Hello, Dani"

She tightened her grip on the caddy of cleaning products, hyper aware of the drive nestled beneath the cloth. "Mr. Bennet. Good morning."

"Why are you in my office so early?" Ezra began gradually walking toward her, his eyes cold and calculating.

Outwardly Dani was calm, relaxed even. Internally she was panicking. She had no weapon and he was now between her and the only exit. Given her props, she went with the obvious answer to his question, "Cleaning."

"You cleaned my office before we opened yesterday. How dirty could it have gotten in less than twenty four hours?" He continued to close the distance between them.

"I-" Dani cleared her throat, "I was coming to clean your desk, specifically." She continued to scour her surroundings for anything to help defend herself.

"And why would you need to do that?"

She attempted to think of an acceptable answer. Dani could feel the adrenaline rush hit as her fight or flight response started to trigger. She tried to slow her breathing down, but her pulse racing made that difficult. Her hands started to shake.

Bennet was an arm's length from her, "I watched the camera footage, Dani. I know what you did."

Taking a final step backward, she hit the side of the desk. Her muscles tensed, preparing to respond.

Bennet's eyes drifted down her body and back up, "Next time you're looking to have a quick fuck on the clock, chose somewhere other than my office." Bennet walked past her to the chair behind the desk and sat down.

Dani closed her eyes and slowly released the breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. She squeezed her hands into fists to keep him from seeing how badly they were shaking. Bennet opened his laptop and turned it on. Again, Dani panicked as she stared in horror at the empty port on the side of it.

"Clean the top of the desk at least," he said logging in. "I'm very much aware of what occurred on it."

Dani blushed at his comment, for reasons Bennet would never know, and sprayed the top with cleaner, carefully grabbing the drive as well as the cloth to wipe the desk.

"Do you plan on continuing to bed my newest business partner, Dani?" He still hadn't looked up from the computer. She was running out of time.

"Um. We haven't really talked about that. Maybe. Is that a problem?" Any minute now he would realize the drive was missing.

"You're free to fuck whoever you want," he turned his chair to face her, "provided we have an understanding."

"Which is?" She gripped the cloth and the drive tightly in her hand.

"Malcolm Walker is expendable. For the time being, he serves us a purpose. When his services are no longer required…" he tilted his head and turned his hands palm up. "The security of our business always comes first, Dani."

She swallowed, the image of Bennet pointing a gun at Malcolm's head flashed through her mind.

He continued, "You two obviously have chemistry. Have your fun. Sleep with him as much as you like, but must stop at that. You cannot allow yourself to have feelings for him. Accept the fact that he is temporary. If you can't do that, then walk away now. If you don't, and you allow your little affair to affect my business, then you will also become temporary. Do you understand?"

Dani nodded, "Yes."

"Good." Bennet sat back down at his computer, tapped the mousepad a few times, and looked at the side of it where the drive should be.

_Oh no._

He checked the other side, then opened the lap drawer of the desk pushing the contents back and forth, searching.

_Shit._

"Everything ok?" She asked innocently, stalling for more time.

Bennet didn't look up from his search. "The hard drive that was plugged into my computer is missing."

Dani wiped the top of the desk, there was no way she was getting the drive back into the computer now that he'd noticed it's absence.

_Think, Dani! _

She got an idea. She wiped one last time and knocked the caddy over onto the floor. Bennet looked up at her annoyed.

"Sorry. I'll get out of your way." She bent down to pick up the items. As she did, she reached her hand under the side of the desk and placed the drive on the carpet.

"Hey. Is this what you're looking for?" she asked, making a point to stretch her hand under the desk when Bennet looked at her. She picked up the drive and held it out to him.

"Yes it is," he answered skeptically, eying her. "How exactly did it get under the desk?"

Dani looked down at her feet, and put on her best 'I'm so embarrassed' face. "That might have been us, last night. I'm very sorry."

Bennet thought about it for a moment, before seemingly accepting the explanation. "Fine. Now go. I have work to do."

Dani quickly grabbed the caddy off of the floor and headed toward the door. She was halfway down the stairs when Bennet called for her, "Dani! Come back here."

Her blood ran cold.

_This is bad, _she thought. She still had nothing to defend herself with. But if she didn't return, she was busted for sure. Slowly she climbed the stairs, trying her best to steady her hands and calm her breathing as she went.

"Yes?" She asked meekly, as she opened the office door.

Bennet looked furious. He was frantically tapping the mousepad on the computer. Dani knew he was getting the repeated error message. He slammed the computer shut and pushed himself out of his seat. "It's not working!"

"What's not working?" Playing dumb was her smartest option right now.

"The drive!" He looked up, anger seeping out of every pore. "This is _your_ fault." He accented the word with a pointed finger and started walking in her direction. "_You_ broke the drive while you were letting Malcolm fuck your brains out on _my _desk!"

He rushed her and pushed her into the wall. Both of his hands found her neck. Dani tried to pull them away but he was far stronger than she was. Her hands clawed at his arms, as she gasped unsuccessfully. Bennet pressed harder against her throat. Each second felt like an hour without air. The edges of her vision started to fade out.

"You stupid bitch! You have NO idea what you've done!" He released her neck and Dani doubled over coughing, trying desperately to catch her breath.

"I'm sorry," she rasped, light headed from the lack of oxygen.

"Don't speak to me!" Bennet raised his arm and backhanded Dani so hard she put a crack in the drywall.

The room went fuzzy, before she slid down the wall. Her hands went to her head; the left one came back bloody. Bennet was still yelling at her, but his voice was muffled. It took her three tries and the fact that he was gesturing toward the door before she understood that he was telling her to get out. She rose, unsteadily to her feet, with the help of the wall behind her, and slowly made her way out the office door. As soon as she was past the threshold, Bennet slammed it behind her.

Even leaning on the handrail, getting down the stairs was a trial. She was insanely nauseous and her vision was still foggy. By the time she reached the bottom, Dani felt like she was going to be violently ill. Staying here wasn't an option, she had to get out of the club and let Bennet cool off. So she forced herself to keep walking: out the door, down the sidewalk, to the nearest train. She sat down in the seat, pulled out her phone and dialed.

Malcolm picked up after the first ring, "Hello?"

The train started moving and her nausea got worse. Dani swallowed, trying to keep from getting sick.

"Dani? Hello?"

"Bright?" Her voice was still a harsh rasp, with little more power than a whisper behind it.

"Dani? What's wrong? Are you okay?"

"I... Bennet…" Her head was spinning; everything on the train car started to tilt.

"Where are you, Dani?" She could tell he was worried about her.

"On a train," she mumbled.

"Which train?"

She squinted and read the sign near the roof. "The one."

"The one. Okay. Which stop?"

Dani looked out the window at the wall on the platform behind her, it took a minute for the numbers to focus. "86th."

"Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

"I think my head's bleeding." The train lurched forward and she almost fell out of her seat.

"How bad?" His worry was shifting into the calmest sounding panic Dani had ever heard. She touched her head, the spot was still actively bleeding, though not profusely.

"Medium," she replied.

It was silent on the other end of the phone for a moment. Then Malcolm returned, "Okay, here's what we're going to do. It's five stops to 50th. Get off there. I'm only a few blocks away, I can make it if I run. I'll meet you on the platform. Can you do that?"

"Yeah. I think so."

"Keep track of the stops and stay on the line with me. I need to start running, but I'll check on you. Don't hang up. Okay?"

"Okay," Dani whispered.

She could hear the phone rustling against the fabric in his pocket as he ran. Occasionally she would hear him apologizing to someone he'd bumped into as he rushed to her. Every time he had to stop and wait to cross a street, he pulled his phone out and checked on her, panting for breath. By the fourth stop, she was so nauseous that she simply groaned in response.

Malcolm's voice reappeared, breathing heavily, "I'm here. I'm on the platform, Dani. Where are you?"

Dani wanted to tell him she was almost to the stop, but she couldn't manage to say a coherent sentence. All she got out was, "Not."

"You're not here yet? That's fine. Which end of the train are you on?"

Her stomach heaved as she tried to reply. "End," she huffed.

"Got it. I think I see your train."

Dani finally saw Malcolm as the train came to a stop. He rushed onto her car and put his arm around her. "Up we go," he said, lifting most of her weight and helping her off of the train. He found an open bench on the platform and led her to it, then crouched in front of her. Between the nausea and the searing pain above her left eye, Dani could barely hold her own head up.

Malcolm gently lifted her chin so he could inspect her injury. Dani's hair was matted to her head with a combination of dried and fresh blood. She couldn't seem to make her eyes focus on anything.

_Concussion for sure. Likely stitches too, _he tallied.

When she finally made eye contact with him, he smiled. "Hey."

Dani turned her head slightly to reply, "Hey." When she did, her hair moved, revealing the marks on her neck. Bruises were starting to form. Malcolm's smile instantly faded as he examined them, "What happened, Dani?"

Now that she wasn't on a moving train, the sick feeling in her stomach was starting to dwindle down to manageable levels. But her throat felt like it housed an inferno. "Bennet," she muttered hoarsely.

"He did this to you?" Malcolm's entire disposition changed. His mouth hardened, muscles tensed, and the kindness that had filled his eyes moments ago shifted to fury and menace.

Dani tried to clear her throat. "When I got there to put the drive back, he was already in the office. I faked needing to clean and gave it back to him, saying I found it on the floor. He thinks it was knocked to the ground when we were…" She glanced up at him briefly; he was still staring intently at her. "I left the office and Bennet plugged it in and started getting the error messages. He thinks we broke the drive when we were on his desk. He yelled for me to come back and absolutely lost it. Pushed me against the wall and choked me. I was starting to pass out by the time he finally let go. I apologized and he backhanded me into the wall." She pointed at her wound. "I couldn't really hear anything else he was saying, but I think the gist was 'get out'. So I left."

Malcolm clenched his fists and released them slowly in an attempt to tame his anger. After a few breaths he was calm enough to talk. "We need to get you to a hospital." He attempted to help her up.

"No." She pulled herself away and started to shake her head, but quickly realized that was a horrible decision.

"Yes, Dani. At best you've got a concussion. You probably need stitches, also."

"Please, Bright. Gil will pull me off the op if he finds out."

Malcolm furrowed his eyebrows, confused. "Wait, you're not burned?"

"I don't know if Bennet meant get out: go away- I'm mad or get out: and never come back. I barely had the capacity to stand, much less analyze the situation."

Malcolm took a moment to weigh his options. If he took her to the hospital, Gil would definitely find out, and Dani was right, he would probably pull her from the op. If he didn't take her to the hospital, let's be honest, Gil would still somehow find out, and be furious with him for helping her cover up what happened. Malcolm looked at Dani. Even with blood dried to her face and bruises from Bennet's hands on her neck, she still didn't want to walk away. Without question, Gil would pull her the second he saw what she looked like right now.

_That's not what she wants, _he told himself. She deserved to make her own decision.

"Fine. No hospital." Dani's smile beamed. "But I'm calling a doctor to come check you out, off the record."

"Deal," she agreed. "Your place then?" She attempted to stand, but was still wobbly.

"Yeah. Come on." He wrapped his arm around her and they headed above ground to hail a cab.

One shower, a confirmed concussion, and some surgical glue later, Dani was patched up and laying on Malcolm's bed.

"Rest, dim light, and some over the counter pain meds for now. Keep an eye on her overnight, tonight especially. Any intense nausea or vomiting occurs, get her to an ER stat. Call me if you have any questions."

"Thank you, doctor. I appreciate it." Malcolm shook his hand and saw him out. When he turned the corner back toward his bed, Dani's eyes were closed and her breathing had slowed. He backpedaled toward the kitchen to get something to drink, then she spoke.

"Bright?"

"Yeah?" he answered, stepping up onto the platform where his bed was.

Dani never opened her eyes. He knew her head must be killing her. "Will you lay with me? Just for a little while."

Malcolm couldn't help but smile at the request, at the fact that she wanted him there for comfort. "Sure." He walked around to the other side, took off his shoes, and laid down next to her on his back. He was unsure how close was acceptable, so he waited to see if she said anything. She didn't. Instead she rolled to her side and nestled herself into him, laying her head on his chest. Malcolm wrapped his arm around her, absent-mindedly trailing tiny paths across her back and side with his fingertips.

"Mmmm," Dani cooed as she snuggled further into him. "Thank you, Malcolm. For taking care of me."

"You're welcome," he replied, his eyes drooping. He turned his neck and kissed Dani on the forehead, before falling asleep with her in his arms.


	6. Chapter 6

Malcolm rolled over. It took him a moment to remember where he was and what had happened. He squinted his eyes, adjusting to the light he had left on. He reached his arm out to find Dani; the space beside him was empty. His arm felt around the unoccupied area next to him and he jolted upright.

"Dani?" Her name echoed through his apartment. No reply returned to him. He exited his bed and walked to the bathroom door, tapping it. "Dani?" Nothing. Malcolm turned the handle of the door and peeked in. "Hello?" The room was empty.

"Malcolm?" Dani's voice floated to him from somewhere in the apartment.

"Yeah?" He left the bathroom and turned the corner expecting to see her standing by the refrigerator, out of sight. No one was there. "Dani?" he was starting to get worried.

"Malcolm!" This time she sounded like she was in pain.

"Where are you?" Malcolm called out, checking his living room floor.

"Malcolm, help." The desperate plea came from the second floor.

He sprinted up the stairs two at a time, following her voice. When he reached the top his head was on a swivel, his eyes bouncing frantically to anywhere she might be.

"Dani?!" He called to her again. She didn't respond. After he cleared the couch and living space, he ran to his study, scouring the area behind his desk.

"Please, Malcolm." Her voice was a whisper this time, frail.

He spun around and jumped in surprise. She was only a few feet from him.

"Hey," he said, relaxing a bit now that she was found. "What's wrong? Why are you up here?"

Dani's arms were wrapped around her torso; she was hurting. "Why didn't you come? I needed you."

Malcolm held an arm out to her. "I was asleep. I'm so sorry. What's wrong?"

"I needed you," she repeated, squeezing herself tighter.

"I'm here. What can I do?"

Dani took an unsteady step toward him and released her arms. Malcolm's mouth fell open in shock. Her shirt was drenched in blood that began to drip down her legs and onto the floor.

"Dani?" The question departed his lips as an exhale, as her legs gave out and he dove toward her. He caught her on his knees, her arms dangling beside her.

"You didn't come," she murmured, while Malcolm brushed her hair out of her face.

"I'm sorry," he replied, his voice shaky, tears welling. "I didn't know you needed me."

"I always need y-" Her eyes shot open wide. Then, practically in slow motion, Malcolm watched in horror as they rolled back into her head and her body went completely limp in his arms.

"No. No. No." He shook her, trying desperately to wake her up. "Dani?! Come back." He shook her again. She wasn't breathing; he couldn't find a pulse. He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her body close to him, tears spilling down his face. "Come back," he cried. "Come back."

Malcolm awoke with a gasp, sitting upright in an instant. He immediately turned to check for Dani next to him. The bed was empty. "No," he whispered practically jumping out of the bed. "DANI?!" he yelled frantically.

The bathroom door opened and Dani stepped out, confused. "Yeah?"

All the air left Malcolm's lungs in a rush of relief and be bent over, putting his hands on his mattress for support.

"Everything okay?" she asked.

He looked up at her, his eyes examining her torso first. No blood.

_Just a dream, _he consoled himself.

"Yes. Sorry. Everything's fine. Just making sure you're okay." He tried to conceal what was the obvious panic in his call for her. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I got backhanded into a wall." She feigned a smile at her attempted joke, trying to lighten the tension in the room. "The pain meds are taking the edge off though. That helps."

"Good." Inwardly Malcolm was still reeling from the nightmare. "What time is it?"

"Seven," Dani answered, looking at her watch. She chuckled lightly, "We slept for six hours."

"Seriously?" Malcolm couldn't remember the last time he slept that long in one session. Even more shocking was that he had slept the entire time without his restraints. Yes, he'd had a nightmare, but lesser visions than that had sent him literally flying through his own bedroom window.

_She wasn't lying in your arms before,_ his psyche responded.

He ignored his internal monologue, and focused on Dani. "Are you hungry? Can I make you something to eat?"

"Starving actually," she admitted.

"Grilled cheese?" he inquired, a mischievous grin spreading across his face at the inside joke.

Dani huffed a laugh, "That sounds amazing."

She sat at the bar and watched him shuffle around his kitchen. They made small talk about random things as he made her food. By the time he slid the plate across the bar, the conversation had shifted back to the case and Bennet. Dani told him a more detailed version of what had happened earlier in his office.

"Malcolm, I legitimately thought he was going to choke me to death," she admitted, picking at the crust of her grilled cheese.

Malcolm had to turn away from her to hide his anger. He practically threw the skillet in the sink and leaned on the edge trying to calm himself down.

Dani eyed him quizzically, then her phone buzzed, "Bennet's texting me."

"You gave him your phone number?" Malcolm turned, genuinely shocked.

"No," Dani looked at him like he was insane. "They make burner apps now. You really didn't know that, Mr. 'I used to be in the FBI'?"

"Oh," he laughed at himself and sipped his water, while Dani was responding to Bennet. "What did he say?"

"To take the night off and he expects me back on time tomorrow. Gotta love a heartfelt apology," the sarcasm was not lost on Malcolm. "But hey, not being burned is definitely a good thing, right?" She raised her glass of water in a mock 'cheers'. He responded by doing the same.

After Dani finished her sandwich, she turned toward the weapons collection in Malcolm's living room. "Seriously though, that's like, a LOT of hardware." He followed her as she got up and moved to the cases, leaning in closely to inspect the pieces. "When did you start collecting all these?"

"When I was old enough to legally buy them myself. Well, that one I bought before I was technically legal, but no one asked so," he smiled. "Mother didn't approve of course."

She grinned, "So naturally you have a giant collection then."

"Naturally," he agreed, beaming. He watched her as she considered each item with actual interest.

"Why are you staring at me, Bright?" she questioned without looking back at him.

Malcolm cleared his throat and quickly looked away, "Sorry." He was about to enter into a detailed and completely fabricated explanation of why he had been staring at her, when the intercom by his door buzzed. Dani continued looking at the weapons, while he went to answer the call.

"Yeah?"

"It's J.T.."

Dani's head whipped around in his direction, her eyes wide, "What do we do?"

"Bathroom!" he ordered. Dani rushed to the bathroom and shut the door while Malcolm answered the intercom, "Come on up." He pre opened the door and went to the bed, straightening the covers. He barely had time to finish that and position himself in the kitchen before J.T. entered.

"Hey, man," the detective said as he shut the door.

"Hey. What's up?"

"Special delivery." He responded by pulling a Glock 22 pistol and a full magazine from his jacket pocket and laying them on his counter. "I have a message from Gil," he pulled out a small piece of paper, cleared his throat, and began. "Malcolm Bright, this is not an NYPD service weapon, this is MY personal firearm. Anything you do with this gun, I will ultimately be responsible for. If you do something stupid and screw me over. This is the weapon I will use to kill you. Don't make me regret this, kid. Gil."

Malcolm smiled as J.T. folded the paper up and tossed it on the counter next to the gun. "Thank you."

"No problem. You clearly remember how to use it," he commended, referencing their earlier trip to the shooting range. "You do know that's impressive right? That you haven't fired a gun in _that_ long and you still have that kind of accuracy. That's like crazy impressive." Malcolm gave him an appreciative half grin.

"So, what happened with lunch though? I thought you were going to meet us after we left the range."

"Oh. Yeah. Something came up. Sorry about that."

"Something came up?" J.T. furrowed his eyebrows, skeptically. But didn't push the matter further. Malcolm appreciated that his teammate wasn't typically one to press people for personal information. "Okay then. Well, I'm on the clock so I better get back."

Malcolm thanked him again and walked around the side of his bar closest to his living room, ready to escort his friend out.

J.T. started toward the door, then suddenly changed direction, "Mind if I use your bathroom before I go?" He was already halfway there by the time he finished the question and Malcolm was too far behind to catch him.

"Wait!" he called, but he had already opened the door. Malcolm stood partially frozen in place.

Dani turned the corner first, looking guilty, J.T. right behind her. He looked at Malcolm in disbelief. "Something came up, huh?"

Dani mouthed "sorry" to Malcolm as he held his hands up defensively. "This is not what it looks like, J.T."

"Oh really? 'Cause it looks like the two of you are-"

"We're not," Malcolm cut him off.

J.T. turned to Dani for confirmation, "We're not," she affirmed.

He crossed his arms ready to interrogate, "Have you ever?"

"No." Malcolm and Dani replied in unison, as the three of them stood in a triangle.

"Has _anything_ ever?" J.T. pressed.

Malcolm had no clue how to answer that question. He looked down at the floor and deferred the response to Dani. However, she was studiously not looking at either of them, and didn't say a word.

"MmmHmm." J.T. raised his eyebrows.

The three of them stood in silence for a moment, before J.T. spoke again.

"Yeah. I'm gonna just leave this alone. You two have fun figuring that out." He uncrossed his arms and pointed at Dani. "But I'm NOT leaving those marks on your neck alone. What the hell happened, Dani?" His accusatory gaze shifted to Malcolm.

"Do you honestly think so little of me?" Malcolm asked him.

Dani looked back and forth between the two of them, understanding her partner's accusation. "Really? These are from Bennet's hands, J.T., not Malcolm's."

"Bennet attacked Dani this morning over the drive," Malcolm reported. She called me, barely conscious and bloody, from a train, when I was on my way to lunch with you and Gil. That's what came up."

Dani continued, "I knew if Gil found out what happened, he'd pull me off the op. Bright brought me back here and called his doctor."

J.T. glared at both of them, clearly trying to decide if he believed their story. It didn't take long for the judgement in his eyes to shift to concern. "Are you okay?" he asked his partner.

"Yeah. Just a little banged up that's all."

Again, J.T. took a moment to absorb all of the information he'd just been given. "You're sure Bennet doesn't suspect you're a cop?"

"I don't think he does. He's just angry because he thinks we broke the drive."

"We?" J.T. didn't miss her slip up. He eyed both of them again, before apparently deciding he either didn't want to know or now wasn't the time to push it. "So you're going back to Diablo when?"

"Tomorrow," Dani answered.

"And you start training Bennet's men tomorrow?" He clarified with Malcolm.

"Yes."

J.T. nodded his head.

"You can't tell Gil about me," Dani's sentence was a plea masquerading as a command.

"You know what he's gonna do to all of us when this inevitably blows up in our faces right?"

Malcolm nodded, smiling, while Dani exhaled, relieved that J.T. was on board.

After J.T. left, the unresolved non-answers to his question about them left a palpable awkward tension in the apartment. In an effort to escape, and give each of them a moment alone to collect their thoughts, Malcolm decided to take a shower. The hot water and steam worked wonders and by the time he was done and redressed, his anxiety had lowered substantially. Dani had dozed off on the couch, so he grabbed a pen and paper, sat at the bar, and took the opportunity to jot down plans for what he would teach Bennet's men tomorrow. Gil had reiterated, several times, that he was not to, under any circumstances, actually reach the 'shooting with lethal precision' portion of their training before Saturday, when the exchange and bust were due to take place. That left a lot of time to fill, and little to fill it with.

Malcolm was so lost in thought that he didn't hear Dani get up, "What are you writing?' He jumped when she spoke. "Sorry," she said.

"It's okay. I just zoned out. I'm making plans for my training tomorrow. There's a limited amount of things I can actually teach the Niners to do. I don't want to teach them a ton of things they can use against us later. But at the same time, Bennet's not an idiot." He quickly looked up at Dan, at the marks on her neck and the wound on her head, "I mean, he's a piece of shit, obviously… but not unintelligent. Anyway, there's only so much stalling I can do before he will catch on. And we have five days to fill."

"So what's the plan?" Dani leaned in close to the paper, and him. Maybe he was imagining it, but the air between them had a charge, felt almost static.

"Well tomorrow we will work on stripping weapons. I can stretch handling and disassembling into one day for sure. After that, I have no idea."

Malcolm rubbed his eyes with his hands.

_I just slept more than I typically do in two days. How am I tired? _

Dani had gone to the refrigerator for water.

He kept his head down, but profiled her every move, checking to make sure she wasn't showing any of the symptoms the doctor mentioned earlier. When she took a drink of water she winced, almost imperceptibly.

_Her throat has to be killing her._

Again he eyed the bruises on her neck, imagining her pinned against the wall, as Bennet threatened her life.

_A mistake he will rue._

She turned back to him and he busied himself with random markings on the paper in front of him.

"I think I'm going to lie down, if that's ok." Earlier, she'd tried to convince him she could go home, but he vehemently refused to let her out of his sight.

"Absolutely, make yourself at home. I'll be right here on the couch if you need anything at all."

Dani turned and stared at him, "Why the couch?" She immediately lowered her head, "unless, I mean, if you're uncomfortable I totally understand. I'm not-"

"No. No. I'm not uncomfortable. At all. I just didn't want to assume anything I suppose."

Dani bit her lip. An innocent, absent-minded gesture to her, but given the last time he'd seen her do that, it was pure unadulterated torture to him. "Assume away," she teased, "I know I'll sleep better, knowing you're right there."

Malcolm bit the inside of his cheek to subdue the smile that was dying to spread across his face, "Okay. I just need to finish up these notes."

She grinned in response and got into bed, facing away from him.

It took him about ten minutes of frantic scribbling to complete a rough draft of the training plans for the week. There were still some empty spots he would have to fill with something 'valuable', but he was pretty good at improvising. He turned off the kitchen light and walked around to the opposite side of his bed. They were under the covers this time, which for some strange reason felt more intimate, like they were two people together, hidden from the rest of the world. He kept the same distance he did before, even though the need to touch her in some small, minute way was almost painful.

Malcolm wasn't sure if she was asleep so he didn't say anything to her. He just turned his head in her direction wishing his eyes had adjusted already, so he could see if Dani's were open. He lay there staring at her for a while, as her features started to come into focus. Her face was peaceful, genuinely beautiful. Malcolm reached out and brushed a rogue curl off of her face. He knew he was playing a dangerous game, allowing himself to have feelings for her. Truth be told they had been there for some time, he'd just managed to deny them, suppress them.

But after last night, that dam had broken. There was no going back.

She owned him. And there wasn't a single thing he could do about it.


	7. Chapter 7

For the first night in a very long time, Malcolm didn't dream, at least not that he remembered anyway. When he woke, he was lying on his back. Sometime during the night, Dani had snuggled up to him again. Her head and arm were settled comfortably on his chest. Her leg was draped over his hip and came to rest between his. Malcolm closed his eyes once more, memorizing everything about how she felt against him. He had started to doze back off when Dani shifted and stretched. When she moved, her leg brushed him in all the right places.

_Okay this is just cruel. _

She would definitely notice that if she was waking up. He needed to move. When he tried to scoot away, her arm and leg tightened their grip. "I didn't figure you for the sneak away in the morning type," she teased.

Malcolm smiled and stretched, "Well, there's a lot you don't know about me, Dani Powell."

She giggled, "That is true." She rested her chin on his chest, looking out his half-moon window. "What's your favorite color?"

"Blue. Yours?"

"Green."

_Vibrant, full of life. That fits. Stop profiling her, Bright._

He inspected her injuries while she wasn't paying attention. The bruises were darker today; that was normal, albeit unpleasant. "How's the head this morning?"

"Better. Still pretty sensitive to light. Good thing I work in a dark club, huh."

"But the music probably won't be fun later."

"Yeah. I didn't think of that. Definitely bringing some meds with me, then." She stared unfocused at something behind his head for a moment. "Speaking of work, I need to go back to my place. Change and get ready and all."

He nodded. Malcolm knew she wouldn't be staying at his apartment for long. Still in the day she'd spent there, he'd quickly gotten used to her presence. Their eyes met for a moment. An entire conversation, one they both wanted desperately to have, out loud, took place in that short glance. Dani broke first and smiled. Malcolm followed. He kissed the top of her head, careful not to touch the injury, and she sat up.

Once Dani collected the few things she had brought with her, Malcolm walked her to his door.

"Text me when you get to your place?" He asked.

"I will. You'll probably beat me to the club, so don't panic if I'm not there yet."

"Oh I will," he chuckled.

"Thank you. For everything." She kissed him on the cheek and he hugged her. "See you later."

"Bye."

He watched her until she descended the stairs out of sight and closed the door.

Malcolm stood behind Bennet, on one end of the dance area of Diablo. Twenty of the Niners' 'upper management', including Luca and Damian, were standing at the tables normally used for the patrons at the club.

Bennet spoke to them first, "You all know why you're here. This," he gestured behind him, "is Malcolm Walker. He is very skilled with a weapon and is going to train you this week. Three hours each day."

_Three hours. Thanks for the heads up, Bennet._

"I expect you to take this seriously; listen to him. If you do not, you will answer to me." He turned to Malcolm and gave him the floor before heading toward the stairs to his office.

"Okay. As Mr. Bennet said, my name is Malcolm Walker. Today we're going to learn how to field strip your weapons aka: disassembling and reassembling." He held up the Glock Gil had loaned him. "First things first, remove your ammunition." He pressed the button on the handle and caught the magazine as it fell out the bottom. Bennet's men followed suit. "If you're not an idiot, you should already know if there's one in the chamber, but it's always smart to check." Malcolm pulled the slide of the gun back, nothing came out. "Now that you know it's safe, with no ammo, you have to dry fire it to unlock the slide. Point it in a safe direction - I suggest toward the floor - and pull the trigger." An echo of clicks filled the giant room.

_No one accidentally shot their foot. Small victories, _he mused.

"Now pull the slide," he pointed to the top of the gun, "back slightly and release the lock pin here. Once you do that, push the slide completely off the front." Malcolm was relieved when this particular step caused some of the men trouble. If they were going to be fast learners, that would cause him massive problems. He walked around and helped some of them with the pin issue.

"So, you have the weapon basically split in half, all you have to do is remove the spring and the barrel, like so," he demonstrated, all the pieces of his gun were laid neatly on the table in front of him. He watched and worked the crowd as, one by one, Bennet's men completed their disassembly. "Good."

Malcolm walked back to the table with his weapon on it. "To reassemble, all you have to do is reverse the order." In six seconds, he reassembled the Glock and finished by cocking it to load the chamber. He fought the urge to grin when he looked around at the faces of the men. If they didn't respect him before, they were definitely starting to now. "Go ahead," he instructed. He mingled around the room, watching and helping the men as needed. "Keep practicing. Strip and reassemble, again and again."

Before he knew it over an hour had passed. Over half the men were stripping and reassembling their guns in less than twenty seconds, which was pretty impressive for day one. Malcolm gathered those who were still struggling into smaller groups and helped them one on one. Meanwhile those who were slightly ahead of the curve were busy racing each other to see who was the fastest.

Malcolm didn't notice Dani walk in at first, his back was to the storage room door while he was helping one of the men. He did notice when Bennet came back down from his office, a cash tray in his hand. Dani was polite enough to him, despite his transgressions, but Malcolm could tell she was paying more attention to how close he was to her. She never let him be between her and an exit route.

Dani had attempted to cover the bruises on her neck with makeup. It helped some, hiding how dramatic the color difference was between her skin tone and the purple outlines of Bennet's hands, but they were still obvious to anyone looking at her.

Malcolm refocused on the men he was helping. Behind him, a few tables away, Luca was talking to Damian.

"Mmmm. Dani. I'll never look at her the same way again." He laughed.

Damian agreed, "I can't believe boss let her by with that shit, man. If that had been one of us fuckin' on his desk he would have beat us near to death."

"Facts," Luca replied. "Still, at least we got that video out of it."

"I could watch that shit on loop for hours."

Malcolm's hands started to shake.

"Wait, wait, wait. Hold up. Check her neck," Luca pointed out.

"Damn. Dani's out there into that freaky shit. Come on over girl. I can choke you better than Tiny over there." They both laughed.

Malcolm was slowly making fists under the table, resisting the urge to walk over and high five them both, in the face, with the table top.

"Okay. Let's take a short break. We'll come back in fifteen and see who's mastered this." Malcolm put his gun on the table he'd been teaching from.

_Time to keep up appearances. _

He leaned against the bar. Luca and Damian especially were watching their every move. "How's it going?"

She smiled at him, "Good. Good. How's training going?"

"Surprisingly well, actually. They're catching on pretty fast." He tilted his head and raised his eyebrows.

"Oh really? Isn't that exciting?" she replied, clearly understanding the double meaning in his words. She shifted her eyes from his to the right a few times, warning him of incoming people.

He nodded almost imperceptibly. "So, you have plans later?" he asked, clearly for the benefit of whomever was approaching them.

Dani giggled, remembering his warning about his nonexistent flirting skills, "Depends."

Luca leaned on the bar next to Malcolm as he responded, "On what?"

"On what you had in mind." Dani raised her eyebrows, daring him to continue in front of Morales.

Malcolm gladly accepted the challenge, eyeing her up and down, "Oh I think we both know what I have in mind."

Dani's mouth popped open slightly, but she caught herself swiftly. "Looks like I'm free then," she countered, not one to be outdone.

"Good," he replied.

"Can I get a water Dani?" Luca asked annoyed that he was being ignored.

Malcolm excused himself to the restroom, winking at Dani as he left.

When Malcolm returned from the restroom, Dani wasn't behind the bar. Luca glanced up at him and immediately looked away. Something felt wrong.

_He looks guilty. _

Malcolm took stock of the rest of the room, about half of Bennet's men had returned to their tables. Damian was notably absent. He went straight to Morales, "Where's Dani?"

"That's your job to know, not mine," he replied, but his eyes shifted briefly to the storage room and gave him away.

Malcolm grabbed his gun from the table, and tucked it into the back waistband of his pants. He rushed to the door, swinging it open slowly.

"If you like it rough baby, I can give you that, believe me," Damian's voice carried from around the aisle of shelves.

"Leave me alone, Damian. I mean it."

Malcolm tiptoed his way in their direction.

"You can't tell me little man out there is giving you what you need."

"How would you know what any woman needs?" Dani was trying to stay calm, but given the last 36 hours, there was an urgency in her voice.

Malcolm stopped at the corner of the aisle and leaned forward just enough so he could see them. Damian had Dani cornered at the end of the row. Malcolm's hand slowly made its way to the Glock in his waistband.

"Oh I've got everything you could ever need right here, sweetie." Damian took two steps forward, backing Dani up against the shelf behind her.

Malcolm stepped out into the aisle, his right hand on the grip of the gun behind him. "Back away, Damian," he ordered.

"Get out of here, Walker. This doesn't concern you," he snapped.

"See I think it does," Malcolm replied, continuing to close the distance to them.

Damian turned and looked over his shoulder at him. "She may be fucking you for now, but she belongs to Bennet."

Malcolm glared at him, "Dani is a grown woman, she belongs to no one. She told you to leave her alone. That means back the fuck away."

Damian looked back at Dani, then lunged at Malcolm, surprisingly fast for a man of his size. Malcolm ducked and pushed him the rest of the way into the shelf.

"Walk away, Damian," Malcolm warned. But his ego wasn't about to let that happen.

"You can't beat me in hand to hand, Walker."

_He's probably right, _Malcolm thought. You have to get him on the floor.

Damian charged Malcolm again, and swung with his right arm. Malcolm dodged the punch and returned with one of his own. It didn't do as much damage as he had hoped, but it served its purpose, distraction. As  
Damian stumbled back one step, Malcolm rushed him this time. He grabbed Damian's arm and wrapped his left leg behind Damian's. Then he swept his leg out from under him and threw him to the ground.

In an instant, Malcolm pulled the gun from behind his back and pointed it at Damian. "Enough," he warned.

Damian smiled, "Gonna be hard to shoot me without any bullets."

Malcolm glanced at the grip of his weapon; the mag was missing.

_Luca. Asshole._

"I could have one in the chamber," he reminded.

Damian laughed, "If you aren't an idiot, you should know," he mocked. "You can't bluff for shit either."

Malcolm's finger moved from the side of the gun to the trigger. Damian's comments to Dani were echoing in his head.

"Malcolm!" Dani's plea pulled him from his trance.

He shook his head and looked up at her, then he held out his hand, "Come on, Dani."

She took it, stepped across Damian, and headed toward the door back into the club. As she exited, Malcolm turned back to Damian, rage in his eyes. He cocked his gun, and caught the cartridge that flew out of the chamber and into the air. Then he tossed it onto Damian's chest.

"Next one's coming faster," Malcolm threatened. Then he turned and exited the storage room, leaving Damian on the floor.

A/N: Ok so full disclosure. That last line from Malcolm isn't mine. It's from a show called Justified. It's my all-time favorite badass TV moment. And I just HAD to have Malcolm do it. Don't think less of me ;)


	8. Chapter 8

Malcolm exited the storage room and went directly to Dani behind the bar. She had her back to him. "Are you okay?" he asked, moving slowly closer.

She turned, a half filled shot glass in her hand, "Yep." Dani downed the contents in one gulp, "I'm great." She shook the after-burn of the liquor off and Malcolm raised his eyebrows. "Seriously I'm fine," she reiterated.

"Okay." He decided not to pry any further, turned, and found Luca in the group of men. Malcolm strode toward him with purpose. "Where's my magazine?" he seethed.

Damian reentered the club from the storage room, unbeknownst to Malcolm. Luca turned from his conversation, as though Malcolm was a pest to be swatted away. "How should I know?" he responded, going right back to his discussion.

_Or the hard way works too._

Malcolm grabbed Luca's arm and twisted it behind his back. He led him to the nearest table, and slammed Luca down onto it. "Let's try this again. Where is my mag?"

Damian glared at Malcolm, as Dani watched from the bar. Luca's free hand reached into his pocket and slammed the clip on the table. Malcolm released him, inspected the ammo, and slid it into the handle of the Glock.

He looked up at the two men, and gestured between them. His expression and tone were eerily calm, "If either of you ever threaten Dani again, I'll use you as test dummies for my next ammo presentation. We clear?"

The rest of Bennet's men stared at him in shock. Malcolm slid the gun behind his back again, crossed his arms at his hips, and waited patiently for Luca and Damian to respond. After a moment of deliberating the blow to their reputations in front of their peers, they both nodded their heads. Dani stared wide-eyed past Malcolm.

"Something wrong Mr. Walker?" Bennet's voice echoed in the giant room.

Malcolm turned to face him, unphased by his presence. "Just a misunderstanding, Mr. Bennet. I believe it's been corrected."

"Is that right?" Bennet's question was directed at Luca and Damian, who again nodded. "Very well. Malcolm, I'm afraid we are going to have to cut today's training short. My men and I have business matters to attend to. Let's continue at the same time tomorrow."

"I'll be here," he replied, turning to the bar. In truth he was more than grateful for any time his training might be shortened. He approached Dani and made sure his volume was loud enough for those close to him to hear, "My place later?"

Dani literally bit her tongue, and managed to turn her giggle into a pursed-lip smirk instead, "Yeah."

Malcolm's smile was 100% genuine. "See you later," he said, gently tapping the bar in farewell.

He walked past Luca and Damian, smirked boastfully, and nodded at them. "Gentlemen," he taunted, as he headed toward the storage room to exit, a noticeable bounce in his step.

It was evening. Malcolm spent the afternoon going to the gym and getting some groceries - if there was a chance Dani might be spending more time at his apartment, food would be a necessity. He wasn't even sure if she was actually coming to his place again tonight or not. Neither of them really clarified if they were just saying that for appearances or in sincerity. Either way, it was better to be prepared. After the errands, he'd returned to his apartment with absolutely nothing to do but wait.

Patience. Waiting. These were not his strong suits.

After a couple of hours of organizing random things around the apartment and letting Sunshine follow him around while he did so, Malcolm was already stir-crazy. He decided to go on a walk to pass the time. One of the things he loved most about New York was that there was always something going on. No matter what time it was, there was always hustle and bustle to distract your mind. It was just after nine when he'd left his apartment, and the streets were littered with people coming and going their different ways. People watching was one of his favorite things to do; a happy pastime for any profiler, he supposed.

After an hour or so of roaming the sidewalks, Malcolm started making his way back toward his home. His mind drifted to the morning and waking up with Dani. He had never felt more content, more authentically happy, than he did with her resting peacefully in his arms. A grin spread across his face as he recalled every tiny detail he could, from how out of control her curls were in the morning, to how it felt when she'd brushed him with her leg. Every single part of him needed her.

He was about three blocks from his house when the sight of two men jogging across the crowded street through traffic pulled him from his reverie. Jaywalking across a busy street was relatively common practice in the city, so he didn't think much of it. They nodded at him as he passed by and then started walking behind him.

_Not necessarily suspicious,_ he thought, continuing his pace.

When a third man jogged across the street, in front of him this time, and proceeded to walk hastily in his direction, Malcolm knew something was wrong.

_You're less than a block from home. All you have to do is make it to your building._

He glanced over his shoulder, the two men behind him were gaining ground fast.

_Odds are better in front of you. The problem's going to be unlocking your building door. _

He prepped the key in his pocket and continued forward. Malcolm waited until the man in front of him was about five feet away before he bolted to the right and sprinted through traffic, toward the other side of the street. A taxi screeched to a stop, narrowly avoiding him. The three men followed as Malcolm ran past his building and then crossed back, where traffic looked busiest. Again, he dodged cars, hoping the men behind him weren't so lucky. He made it back to his building door, key in hand, and turned the lock, then immediately spun around to slam it shut. The door was an inch from being closed when Malcolm felt resistance from the other side.

_Shit._

He threw all of his weight into the door.

_Come on. Come on. Come on!_

Once the other two men caught up, it was no contest. When the three of them rammed the door, Malcolm stumbled back to stay on his feet. The men slowly stepped into the ten foot entryway. Malcolm matched their approaching steps with reverse ones, until he hit the bottom of the stairs leading up to his loft door. The four of them stood there, silently sizing each other up. Two of the three were inching their way behind Malcolm.

_Well, you're surrounded. This isn't going to go well._

"So, fellas. What are the chances you've got the wrong guy?" he asked optimistically, stalling for time.

The men behind Malcolm rushed him and grabbed his arms, while the third in front of him slowly walked toward him.

"Three on one isn't exactly a fair fight." Malcolm jerked his arms in an unsuccessful attempt to free himself. "Someone must be pretty scared of me. Let me guess, Damian sends his love?"

The man in front of him simply smiled, as he pulled his arm back and swung, the punch connecting with Malcolm's left cheek. His head whipped to the right, as his vision filled with white dots.

_At least he missed the jaw, _Malcolm thought, searing pain radiating throughout his head.

The next series of punches focused on his sides, rib cage, and abdomen. It didn't take long for Malcolm to lose count as the blows continued. Finally, the man paused his onslaught for a moment and Malcolm doubled over - as much as he could with his arms restrained - trying desperately to breathe.

"Let him go," the leader ordered. When the others obeyed, Malcolm dropped to his knees, one arm bracing himself on the ground, the other wrapped around his torso. The man crouched down in front of him, a Cheshire cat smile spreading from ear to ear, and patted him on the shoulder. "Have fun at training tomorrow, Mr. Bright," he laughed.

Malcolm's panicked eyes flew up to the man's face.

_Bright? Fuck._

Before Malcolm could catch his breath enough to speak, the man stood and turned to go. As the ones behind him exited the building door, the leader doubled back and kicked him in the stomach - one final blow. Malcolm fell the rest of the way to the ground as his building door finally slammed shut.

He wasn't sure how long he laid there at the foot of the stairs. It had to be at least a half an hour before he found the will to push himself into a seated position. Everything from his head to his hips ached. Malcolm took a tentatively deep breath and winced. To his surprise he was actually able to completely breathe in. It was painful. It hurt like hell. But he could fully complete his breath, which meant he had likely dodged any broken ribs.

_Okay, so no broken jaw. No broken ribs. Could've been worse._

He turned and used the rail post of the stairs to pull himself up until he was standing.

_Legs are fine_, he was grateful as he looked up the stairs.

When he got back into his apartment, he immediately looked at the clock - 11:30. He had a few hours still until Dani might show up, if she was showing up at all.

Never in his life had he wished for a tub in his bathroom, until today. An ice bath would be amazing right now. As it was, bags of ice cubes and frozen vegetables would have to suffice. Luckily he still had some leftover pain meds in his ever-growing home pharmacy. He took two, and proceeded to cover the top of his bed with towels. Malcolm laid out the frozen vegetable bags and lay down on them, hissing at the cold and the pain. Once he was as comfortable as he was going to get, he placed multiple bags of ice cubes on his torso, and held one to his left cheek.

_This is totally a thing normal people do. Ever. _

Despite the frozen, lumpy bags beneath him, Malcolm quickly fell asleep.

Malcolm woke to the sound of his intercom buzzing.

_What time is it? Shit. Dani._

He raised himself up off of the bed with surprising ease, until he remembered the meds he'd taken a short while ago. He scurried to the intercom, "Yeah?"

"Hey. It's me," Dani replied.

"Doors unlocked," he answered pressing the button. Rushing back to his bead, he grabbed all the vegetable bags in one swoop and threw them back in the freezer. Then he took the now melted bags of ice and tossed them in the sink. Lastly, Malcolm threw the towels to the floor on the other side of the bed and grabbed his shirt, as Dani opened the door. He'd managed to get it on but not buttoned before she was in the apartment.

"Hi," she said heading toward one of the bar stools at the counter.

He frantically finished his buttons before he turned around, "Hey. How was the rest of your shift?" he asked, grabbing them both some water from the fridge.

"Insane. Bennet's got-" Dani stopped mid sentence. She was staring at him in shock.

_Damn it._

He'd forgotten about his face. He lowered his head trying to hide what was surely a substantial bruise by now.

"What the hell happened to you?" she was already halfway around the bar when she finished the question.

"I'm fine," he reassured her, as she turned his head to inspect his cheek.

"That's not what I asked," she scolded.

"Well I don't know this 'officially'," he made air quotes as he said the word, "but I'm fairly certain Damian sent some friends my way earlier."

"How bad?" she asked, her eyes filled with concern.

Malcolm thought about playing it off, but there was no point in trying to cover it up. He responded by unbuttoning his shirt and holding it open. The bruises were already coming in nicely. Most were various hues of purple and blue. A couple had a hint of green mixed in.

One of Dani's hands flew to her mouth, while the other opened one side of his shirt further. "Oh my God. You need x-rays, Malcolm."

He shook his head, "There isn't much they can do for a broken rib, unless it's about to puncture something. I can take full breaths, so I think I escaped anything that severe."

Without thinking, Dani reached out and touched one of the larger bruises on his stomach. He tensed when her hand grazed his abs, though not for the reason she thought.

"Sorry, that was stupid," she said, pulling her hand back.

"It's fine. Honestly it doesn't really hurt at this point. Once the pain meds wear off I'm sure that will change."

Dani headed back around to the stool she was sitting in and put her head in her hands. She took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.

"What's wrong?" Malcolm asked, handing her a glass of water, and leaning on the counter.

"What I was about to tell you, was Bennet has a source in the NYPD. I overheard him talking to Luca when I was serving them drinks tonight. Someone on the inside got them those addresses, and is in the process of getting another list to them. Bennet expects the list to be in his hands by tomorrow night."

"Well, shit." Malcolm raised himself up and rubbed his eyebrows with his hand.

"Bright, we have to stop him from getting that drive. There's no way I can destroy another, once it's already in his possession. He almost killed me the first time."

"If he gets another he'll definitely make a copy anyway, after what happened the first time." Malcolm stared at the counter top deep in thought. "We have to ID the source. That's our only shot. Call J.T."

"On it."

When Dani finished the phone call she returned to the kitchen and leaned back against the counter next to Malcolm. "J.T. said he would wake Gil and get on it."

"That's good," he replied, quietly; his mind was elsewhere.

She was analyzing his expression, he knew it. A small part of him was proud of her for trying to profile him. "What's going on up there?" she asked, tapping the side of his head gently.

He had to tell her. He wanted more than anything not to, but he couldn't hide it from her.

Malcolm exhaled, preparing for her reaction. "Earlier, one of the guys that Damian sent said something." He paused and looked at her while he finished, "Something that's… going to be a problem."

"What did he say?" Dani crossed her arms.

"He said, 'Have fun at training tomorrow, Mr. Bright.'" His eyes met hers; Dani's swiftly filled with fear.

"Shit. Malcolm, they know." Her hands fell to her sides.

"I know, Dani." He tried to be as calm as he could about the situation.

"And they know where you live." Dani, on the other hand, was panicking, terrified for him.

"I know that too."

"What are we going to do?" She had started to pace the three feet between his sink and the island.

"Well, I intend to take some more meds, get some sleep, then wake up and go back to the club to train Bennet's men."

Dani stopped pacing and turned toward him, her face a carnival of disbelief, "Are you insane?!" She asked, stepping closer to him. "Bennet will shoot you on sight. It'll be a miracle if he doesn't send someone _here_ to do it tonight."

"No. He won't," Malcolm replied.

Dani was incredulous. "Excuse me?"

"Bennet needs me, Dani. He needs that ammo. He's not doing anything to me until he has those cartridges. That puts me alive and breathing, until Saturday at least."

Dani clearly didn't appreciate his joke. "So you're just trusting that theory?! And you're going to waltz back into Diablo tomorrow confident that he won't put a bullet in you the second you walk through his doors?"

"Yeah. That's the plan." He took a drink of water as he answered her.

"You have completely lost your mind! I'm not letting you do that, Malcolm." She was frantic.

"It's not your call, Dani."

Dani jerked her head back, as though his words had slapped her. "You're right," she countered, "It's Gil's." She walked around the island and grabbed her phone, "Let's give him a call and see what he has to say about it." Dani started to dial and Malcolm snatched the phone from her hands. Part of him felt guilty for doing it, but it had to be done.

"You can't do that. Gil will kill the op. You know he will. And if he does, a lot of cops are going to die. We can't let that happen, Dani. We have to stop Bennet."

Dani was livid. But even spewing rage she was gorgeous. "You have to back out of the op," she ordered. "I can get the intel we need to catch the Niners before they attack."

Malcolm huffed, "Oh no." Then he leaned in and jabbed his finger into the counter top, "There is no way in hell am I leaving you under with Bennet AND Damian alone." The severity in Malcolm's tone surprised even him.

Dani closed the space between them. "That's not your call," she repeated, spitefully.

"Nice," he spat.

"I'm not going just sit back and watch you get yourself killed, Malcolm. I can't." She was yelling now. So was he.

"And I can't sit back and let Damian and Bennet do God knows what to the woman I -" Malcolm caught his words too late. He froze, staring at Dani, then closed his mouth and swallowed, searching her eyes for a reaction.

Dani responded by staring back at him, silently. She took a step forward, her head down, less than a foot from him. Malcolm could feel her on every inch of him, even though they weren't touching. His breaths were short and quick. So were hers. Dani looked up at him, with the same intense gaze she had given him in Bennet's office. That was all it took. Malcolm grabbed her by the neck and pulled her lips to his.

Dani's mouth opened immediately, her tongue seeking his. The kiss started out almost angry, a continuation of their argument, an outlet for their frustration. Dani's hands found the nape of his neck then slid up to fist his hair. Malcolm kept one of his hands behind her head, while the other wrapped around her waist and pulled her to him. Their kiss deepened and Malcolm turned them so Dani was against the island. When he broke their kiss, they were both panting for air. His top hand tilted her head to the side as his lips found her neck, covering each bruise with a kiss. Dani's breaths were heavy as he continued to trail kisses from her jaw to her collarbone.

Malcolm's other hand snaked down over her hips and grabbed the back of her leg, pulling it up and around his hip. He held it in place and pressed against her, desperate for any contact he could get.

Dani moaned softly and Malcolm returned his lips to hers. With every passing second his desire for her increased ten fold. He needed her more than he needed water, oxygen. She was everything. She was the only thing.

Dani pushed herself away from the island, moving them slowly toward his bedroom. Her hands ran up Malcolm's chest and pushed his shirt off his shoulders. He returned the favor, finding the hem of her shirt, only breaking their kiss long enough to pull it over her head. They stepped up onto the platform where his bed was located. Malcolm backed Dani up against the edge of the bed and she pulled him down onto her when she fell backward. He kissed his way down the center of her torso from neck to navel. Again Dani let out a quiet moan. The sound sent a blaze of fire through Malcolm and he bucked his hips against her. He could feel himself starting to lose control of his actions.

He used every ounce of willpower he had left to raise himself up off of her. Dani's eyes popped open in the absence of his touch.

"Dani," he started, looking down at her. She was breathing heavily, her eyes were hooded with desire. He had never wanted anything more in his entire life. He just had to make sure she felt the same way.

She knew he needed to hear her say it, "This is what I want, Malcolm." She gently touched his unbruised cheek, "You're what I want."

That was all he needed to hear. He stood them both up again, this time their kiss was pure unbridled passion, both of them grasping for any part of the other they could touch. Dani found the button of his pants and undid them. They fell to the floor and he stepped out of them. He immediately froze when her hand brushed up and down the front of him one time, then pushed his final article of clothing down and off. She stared at him for a moment, all of him, and her eyes turned darker. Dani's hand lightly caressed one of the bruises littering his torso. She leaned down and kissed it. Then she reached behind her back and unclasped her bra, letting it fall to the floor.

Malcolm pulled her to him, her skin touching his sent his pulse racing. His hands found the back of her skirt, and pulled the zipper. He knelt in front of her and tugged the skirt and underwear slowly down her legs, then kissed the inside of her thighs before standing again. Malcolm took a split second to look at her. All the air left his lungs in a huff, she was literally breathtaking.

Suddenly he picked her up and playfully tossed her onto the bed. She giggled for a moment, but her expression swiftly shifted back to hunger as she watched Malcolm crawl up her body. He kissed her again, putting everything he felt for her, every word he ever wanted to say to her into each second. He kissed every inch of Dani's body, worshiping her with every touch.

They were both gasping for breath again when Dani couldn't take it anymore. "Please, Malcolm," she begged.

His lips found hers again, as he positioned himself correctly and pushed forward. Dani inhaled sharply, accenting it with a pleasure-filled whimper. Malcolm couldn't contain his own moan at the feeling of her around him. He paused for just a moment to make sure she was comfortable, then started a slow rhythm. With each thrust their panting grew louder. Malcolm buried his face in her neck, as Dani softly clawed at his back, meeting his thrusts with her own.

Her breaths quickened, as her whispered "yeses" coaxed him to continue his momentum. Her body tightened around him as she inched closer to finishing. Malcolm needed her climax more than he needed his own. Giving her that release was the only thing that mattered. Her arms tightened around him, as he whispered in her ear, "Come for me, Dani." That phrase was her undoing. Her body convulsed beneath him as he continued his pace. Feeling her climax around him was too much. With a final thrust, his own release followed.

Malcolm laid his head on Dani's chest, while they both came down from the euphoria. After a few minutes he raised himself up onto his elbows, to take his weight off of her. He brushed her cheek with his thumb and kissed her again, rolling to the side and pulling her with him. Dani wrapped her body around his and nestled into his chest once more. Malcolm kissed the curls on the top of her head, wrapped his arms around her, and closed his eyes.


	9. Chapter 9

Malcolm squinted his eyes. It was lighter outside than it should be; he'd overslept. He glanced down at the reason, who was stretched out across him and peacefully asleep. Neither of them had bothered to redress last night. Exhausted from the events of the day, and even more so the night, they'd all but passed out afterward. It pained him to have to wake her, but it was an unfortunate necessity. He wrapped his arms around her and squeezed, kissing the top of her head in the process. Dani cooed in response and looked up at him.

"Hey," she muttered, still half asleep, resting her chin on his chest.

"Hey," he replied, tracing circles on the bare skin of her back.

She buried her face in his chest, playfully groaning in frustration that morning had come so quickly, "What time is it?"

"Our phones are still on the island, so officially I have no clue. But it's definitely lighter than it should be for us to be on time." Malcolm sighed contentedly. "Can't imagine why we overslept," he teased.

Dani giggled, her face still hidden. The giggle gradually shifted into a cough.

"You okay?" Malcolm asked.

It worsened. She raised her head and coughed again, blood spewing out onto his chest and running down her chin. Malcolm jumped and raised himself up.

"Dani?" He cupped her face in his hand. She couldn't breathe. Everytime she coughed more blood dripped from her mouth and on to him.

"Help," Dani gasped, breathlessly, "me." Then her eyes rolled back and she collapsed onto his chest.

"DANI!"

"Ahhhh!" Malcolm bolted upright, and immediately regretted it. Every muscle in his torso shrieked in pain and he winced. Outside his window, the city was still shrouded in darkness.

"Bad dream?" Dani asked. She was lying on her side, her head resting on her hand.

At the sound of her voice, Malcolm breathed a sigh of relief and closed his eyes, trying to rid himself of the horrific images he'd just seen. "Yeah. Sorry." he whispered.

"About me?"

Malcolm looked at her for the first time since he awoke, "What makes you say that?" It was a pathetic attempt at dodging her question.

"Well, first of all, that's an obvious yes. And secondly, you said 'Dani' multiple times right before you woke up."

"Oh," he looked down at his hands.

Dani reached out and took his hand in hers, "Talk to me."

Malcolm weighed the idea of telling her about the recurring nightmares he'd been having, in which she was the central figure. There was just too much going on to delve into the psychology of it all right now. "It's nothing," he smiled, gingerly lying down to face her, "just a stupid dream." He rested his hand on her waist and stared into her eyes.

"We both know that dreams are never 'just dreams' for you." She was worried about him.

One side of Malcolm's mouth creeped up into a half grin, "The dreams mean nothing. They aren't real." He ran his hand along her bare skin, from her waist to her jaw, brushing her cheek with his thumb. "This. This is real."

Dani smiled and leaned into his hand and Malcolm bent forward and kissed her. For a moment it was simply a chaste kiss, until Dani pushed him backward and crawled on top of him.

* * *

"I want it on the record that I still think you returning to Bennet is a horrible idea." Dani buttoned the white dress shirt she'd borrowed from Malcolm and tucked it into her pants. At least she wasn't returning to the club in _exactly_ the same outfit she'd left in.

Malcolm helped her with the cuffs, "Duly noted." He stepped back and analyzed the shirt, "Not a bad fit."

"Yeah?" Dani twisted to see how it looked.

He crossed his arms and brought his hand up to his mouth. His index finger rested against his lips, thoughtfully.

"What?" She asked.

"You know, I never understood the appeal of the "girlfriend in your clothes" thing. But there is definitely something to it."

"So I'm your girlfriend now?" Dani asked in a serious tone.

Malcolm stepped back and cleared his throat, "Uh. I- I didn't mean to presume any-"

Dani couldn't suppress her smile any longer and chuckled, "I'm kidding."

"Oh," relief washed over his face.

_Ok that was mean, _she thought.

"Actually, I kinda like it," she admitted.

Malcolm beamed at the response and her heart melted. "Me too," he kissed her quickly, before heading to the bathroom to give himself a once over. While he was there, Dani's phone buzzed.

"J.T. just texted me," she announced reading the message quickly. She popped her head into the bathroom as Malcolm was brushing his teeth, "He says they've narrowed down the Source suspects to three cops. They're bringing them all in for questioning now."

"Mmmm," Malcolm acknowledged with a mouth full of toothpaste.

"Speaking of," Dani added, "Are you okay if we don't tell the team yet? I just don't want them to act differently or not let us work together or something."

He rinsed, "Is that a possibility? Would they not let us work together if they knew?" Malcolm turned toward her, clearly concerned.

"I have no idea. But I really don't want to take that chance."

"Me neither."

She was in no way ashamed of the fact that she was with Malcolm now. But if the run in with J.T. was any indication, having the "we're together" talk with her surrogate brother and father was likely to be awkward at best. If J.T. re asked the "have you slept together" question now, there would be no hiding it. Awkward would be an understatement. Last night belonged to them, and no one else.

Dani checked the time on her phone, "You ready?"

"Yep. Let's go." Malcolm grabbed the keys to the BMW and followed her out the door. Before they completely exited his building, Dani stopped him.

"Okay, you ready to break up?"

He snickered, "Twelve hours is more successful than most of my relationships, so..."

"I hate that we have to do this," she hugged him.

He held her tightly, "I know. But we do. They could be watching, and we have to distance ourselves if we have any hope of Bennet not connecting you to all this."

She nodded and took a cleansing breath. "Sell it," she said with a wink, reminding him of their encounter in Bennet's office.

"Okay that's just unfair," he retorted as she swung the building door open in a huff and marched out. He waited a second before running out to follow her.

"Dani, wait," he reached out and touched her arm and she jerked it away.

"Don't touch me!" she said, trying to put as much anger as she could into the words. "I can't believe you!"

They probably should have put a little more thought into what they were actually going to say.

"Don't leave like this. Come back inside and let's talk," Malcolm begged.

_Okay. He's good at this. _

"No. Just stay away from me," she spat raising her arm to hail a cab.

When one pulled up, Dani started to walk away from him.

He grabbed her hand, "Wait, please." Dani turned, pulled her hand away, and slapped Malcolm. To be fair, he had been the one to suggest it earlier. Then she stomped away and into the back of the cab. She risked one glance out of the corner of her eye. Malcolm was holding the stricken cheek, trying not to smirk. Fearful she'd break too, she told the driver her destination and they drove away.

A moment later her phone buzzed.

Thanks for not hitting the bruised cheek. See you soon. Be safe.

She couldn't hold back the smile that filled her face.

Welcome. Today evil glares = wish we were back in your bed ;)

Dani watched the building as they went by, going over the story she and Malcolm had created about the end of their relationship. They reached a light, and the driver shifted into the right lane to turn.

"Why are you turning right?" she asked, "We need to go uptown."

The driver didn't respond.

"Hello? Why are we going this way?" He was staring at her in the rear view mirror, silently. Slowly, she reopened the texts with Malcolm. She typed three letters before she heard the click of the hammer being pulled back on a gun.

"Phone. Now." He held out his hand for it.

Dani hit send as she handed it to the driver.

hel

_Please, Malcolm. Understand._

The driver pulled into a parking garage. On the third floor they pulled in next to a windowless van.

_Shit. _

Dani slid to the opposite side of the cab as two men quickly jumped out of the side door. One raced to the side she was now on and opened the door, jerking her roughly out and onto the ground. Then the other joined him.

"HELP!" Her plea echoed throughout the garage. She lashed out at the two men as they cornered her, one punch connecting hard. The man stumbled back for a split second, before returning the favor.

And everything went black.

* * *

Malcolm had just finished deflecting information about his whereabouts on a phone call to his mother, when he got a text from Dani

hel

He smiled.

Hel - lo?

No response.

Everything okay?

Still no response.

Malcolm called her. When it went to voicemail, he furrowed his eyebrows.

_Help_.

He sped down the last two streets to the club, weaving through traffic as he went. He had to get to her.

Before Malcolm left the car, he checked the ammo in his gun, and cocked it, leaving one ready in the chamber. He tucked the weapon into the back of his pants, made sure his suit coat covered it, and sprinted to the delivery door.

When he exited the storage room into the club he knew something was horribly wrong. Dani wasn't anywhere to be found and Luca was leaning, his back against the bar.

Malcolm tried to act as casual as he could, while having an internal panic attack. "Where's Dani?"

Luca didn't bother to look up at him, "She's out. Running an errand for Mr. Bennet."

_Bullshit_.

Luca continued, "The men will be here in just a few minutes. Then we can get started."

"Good." He had to get word to Gil, but there was no way Luca would let him out of his sight. He nonchalantly pulled out his phone, and in a miracle of biblical proportions, it buzzed. J.T. was calling him.

"Excuse me. I need to take this," he said to Luca. Then he swiped his phone, "Hello?"

"Bright. Hey it's J.T. I tried to call Dani, but she's-"

"Oh yeah, that delivery has been slightly delayed."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"You'll be compensated for your _missing_ merchandise and patience, I assure you."

"Missing? What's missing?... Dani?"

"Yes. Let me email you that information right now. Hold on."

Malcolm opened an email to J.T. and Gil:

Cover's blown. Dani is MIA. Track her phone!

"Did you get that?" he asked doing everything he could to control his voice. Some of Bennet's men were starting to arrive for training.

He heard Gil in the background, "Put that on speaker! Bright? When was the last time you saw Dani?"

"That shipment left less than an hour ago," he replied. Luca wasn't even trying to hide the face that he was listening to his every word.

"Where are you?" Gil asked.

"I'm with a client at the moment."

"At Diablo?" J.T. clarified.

"That's right."

Gil cursed, "If your cover's blown you need to get out of there. NOW."

"No. I will personally assure that your package is delivered safely."

"We will find Dani. Just get out now, Bright. That's an order!" Gil was practically shouting.

"WAIT!" J.T. interjected. "Bright, tracking app says she's in the club or her phone is at least."

The two men were on the move, "We're on our way to you!"

"I have to go," Malcolm replied.

"Wait-" Gil's unfinished sentence was the last thing he heard before he hung up. Almost all of the men had shown up for training. Except for Damian.

Malcolm held up a finger for Luca to 'hang on' while he made another call. He dialed Dani's phone again and immediately heard buzzing- coming from Luca's jacket pocket. Luca looked up at him, his phone was laying on the bar, making no noise at all.

Malcolm casually hung up, and dropped his phone into his pocket before pulling the gun from behind his back. "Where is she?" he demanded, staring at Luca down the sight of the weapon. Luca simply smiled in response and pointed. Malcolm turned his head a fraction, keeping Luca well within his vision. Half of Bennet's men had their guns drawn and pointed at him.

Malcolm held up his hands and bent to lay the Glock on the ground in surrender.

"Don't worry Mr. Bright," Luca assured him, "You'll see Dani soon enough.

* * *

Dani awoke to darkness and a headache that rivaled most migraines. It took her a moment to realize there was a hood over her head and that they were still in the van. Her hands were bound behind her back, zip ties it felt like. She remained silent, listening to anything she could that might help her figure out her location. The vehicle slowed, she could hear a gate being rolled open and horns honking. But not car horns.

A moment later they were stopped and she was being dragged out of the van and to her feet. She stumbled, unable to see where her feet were stepping. The men on either side of her were gripping her arms tight enough that they caught her whenever she fell. There was water sloshing somewhere close by.

_Gate. Horns. Water... A Marina._

They entered a building and she was slammed down onto a chair. Another tie was added to her restraints, connecting her to the chair. After a moment of shuffling feet and a door slamming closed. Someone yanked the hood off of her head.

Bennet.

"Thank you for joining us, Detective Powell."


	10. Chapter 10

"_Thank you for joining us, Detective Powell."_

Dani's heart sank, she'd been hoping that they had taken her to get to Malcolm, that his was the only cover blown. She was wrong. And that meant that this was going to be even more unpleasant than she'd originally thought. Despite the realization of what was inevitably to come, Dani refused to show her captors any fear.

Bennet crouched in front of her. She met his gaze stubbornly and squinted. "I have to be honest Dani, you surprised me. Given Malcolm's behavior and skill set, I wasn't altogether shocked to learn who he really was. But you- you snuck in under my radar, not an easy feat to accomplish." He reached up and brushed a wayward curl out of her face and Dani jerked away from him.

He continued, "Although, it does explain the drive erroring. That's why you were in my office that morning wasn't it? You were bringing the drive back."

She refused to respond to him and simply blinked, straight faced.

"I'm curious, were you fucking Malcolm before? Or was that just a happy byproduct of your little operation?"

She blushed involuntarily, the embarrassment quickly shifting to concern.

_Malcolm_.

Even if he hadn't figured out her three-letter text, he would have gotten to the club and noticed her absence. At this point, whether or not Malcolm knew she was in trouble wasn't what scared her anymore.

What were they doing to him?

At that thought, she broke her silence, "Where is he?"

Dani was sure that Bennet would have had men waiting for Malcolm's arrival at the club. Once he realized she was missing, there was no telling what he would do.

Bennet grinned, "Ah, so it's not just a fling. You care for him." She glared at him through squinted eyes. "How quickly you forgot our conversation. I tried to warn you Dani. You can't deny that."

"_Malcolm Walker is expendable… when his services are no longer required…" _

"Where is he?!" The ties on her wrists dug into her skin as she pulled at them and tried to stand. Bennet grabbed her shoulders and slammed her back down onto the chair. "What did you do?" she demanded.

Again Bennet smiled, a lion toying with its prey. He slowly strode around the chair until he was behind her. Then he leaned in next to her ear and whispered, "What's happening to Malcolm is nothing compared to what's about to happen to you."

* * *

Luca bent over and picked up Malcolm's gun. He pulled the slide back, checking to see if there had actually been a bullet prepped for him. When it popped out, he caught it and put it in his pocket, while storing the gun in his back waistband.

"You weren't fucking around, were you?" he laughed. "Too bad you didn't have the balls to pull the trigger."

Malcolm stared daggers at Luca, his arms still raised. "Don't confuse you having information I need for my lacking the conviction to shoot you."

Another chuckle escaped Luca while he motioned for one of the other men to come over. Malcolm watched as the man pulled zip ties from his pocket while walking toward him.

_So, this was all a part of it. They know about Dani too. _The thought sent a cold chill through him.

Luca's assistant grabbed his arms and twisted them behind his back, pulling the ties snuggly. Malcolm's mind was racing:

_Gil and J.T. are en route. Minutes away._

_Luca is Bennet's number two. He knows where Dani is. _

_If they take Luca in there's no way he's talking._

_Dani will be in the wind. Alone. With Bennet. _

_You have to get to her. Now._

_Gil is going to kill me. _

Malcolm didn't give his plan a second thought. It was the only way to get to Dani quickly. He took a deep breath, "Luca, the cops are on their way. They're probably less than five minutes out."

"What?" He straightened up, looking at the entry door.

"That's who I was talking to on the phone a few minutes ago. If you don't want to be here when they completely raid this place, we need to leave. Now."

"You're lying."

"No, I'm not."

Luca stepped closer to him, staring into Malcolm's eyes as though the truth was written on his pupils. "Why would you warn us about that? What's your play?"

"Well, we can stand here and talk about it some more, and when the cops arrive you can continue speculating with them, or we can get the hell out of here and not get all of you arrested. Your call."

Luca took a second to weigh their options, "Let's go. Everyone out the back. Nick, grab the van," he tossed a set of keys to one man who ran to the storage door. "You two take him," he pointed at Malcolm.

Another man stepped up to Malcolm and took him by the arm. He jerked his arm away. "I'm going willingly. I can walk myself." The cluster of men rushed to the storage room and out the back delivery door. As they exited a white van pulled up. Luca jumped in the front passenger seat, while four men and Malcolm hopped into the back. Luca rolled down the window and barked orders to the remaining men, who split into different directions.

He threw a black cloth into the back of the van, "Cover him."

One of the men pulled the hood down over Malcolm's head and the van sped away.

* * *

Gil didn't even bother grabbing the keys from the ignition. As soon as his car was in park, he and J.T. flew out and headed toward the door to Diablo, an ESU TAC team on their heels. Once the door was breached the Lieutenant took the lead. "Back room!" he ordered pointing at the storage entrance. A few of the TAC team members broke off and headed in that direction.

J.T. pointed up, "Boss, office." Some of them pointed their weapons at the tinted glass, while others kept theirs forward.

Gil scanned the walls beneath the windows, "Entrance?"

"Here!" a TAC officer yelled, from behind a booth in the VIP section.

"Go!" Gil ordered, rushing to catch up to them. J.T. followed. By the time they climbed the stairs the team had already busted the office door open.

"Clear!" the team leader called.

"_Storage and back alley all clear,"_ a voice chimed in on their ear pieces.

"Bright said he was here," J.T. holstered his weapon, frustrated, "not ten minutes ago. Where the hell did they go?"

Gil holstered his also and slammed his palm on Bennet's desk, "DAMN IT!"

J.T. and the team were watching him, awaiting their next orders. "Canvass the area for any possible witnesses. Check CCTV and security cameras for anyone in or out and possible vehicles. They were here less than 10 minutes ago, people. It's midday in Manhattan, they can't have gone far."

_Where are you, Bright?_

* * *

Bennet sauntered back around in front of Dani. "I'm torn, Detective," the last word was oozing with disgust and animosity. "Typically I have a firm 'no hitting females' policy. But given the current situation," he removed his suit jacket and hung it on the back of another chair across the room, "I feel like I'm permitted a brief hiatus from my principles." Bennet proceeded to unbutton his cuffs and roll his sleeves up to the elbows.

Dani closed her eyes and took a deep, cleansing breath.

_You can do this, _she coached herself. _You've trained for this. Disassociate. Happy place._

Malcolm's face immediately appeared in her mind. The rhythm of his breaths as she lay on his chest. How he always subtly positioned himself to be closer to her when she entered a room.

Bennet's fist connected with her cheek, ripping the thoughts of Malcolm violently away from her. Her head whipped to the side, as dots, tiny white fireflies, invaded her eyesight. Dani blinked multiple times trying focus. A second cross from Bennet hit the opposite cheek. The white lights exploded across her field of vision once more. Dani tasted copper in her mouth, and spat blood.

Damian's entrance halted Bennet's blows momentarily. Her vision was blurry, but Dani could tell he had some kind of material in his hand. She knew it wasn't cloth, it was too stiff and made too much noise. As Damian approached Bennet, she figured it out.

_Plastic_.

"Perfect," Bennet was opening and closing his fists, uncomfortably.

_At least it hurts him a little. _

"Go ahead," Bennet directed Damian, who walked behind Dani. She craned her neck to see him. The plastic sheet he was holding was actually a large, thick bag.

_Oh no. _

Bennet crouched down in front of her again and she turned toward him. "If I execute cops I don't even know, Dani, just imagine what I'll do to one who's wronged me." He nodded to Damian.

The bag was over her head in an instant, before she could take a breath. Damian pulled the opening tight under her chin, jerking her head backward. He twisted the excess plastic in his hand removing any spare pockets of air.

Dani knew not to panic, that doing so would only cause her to use what little oxygen she had too quickly. But rational thought faded fast, as the one breath that was available inside the bag ran out. Her heart was pounding, the sound echoing in her ears. She could feel her pulse in her throat, thumping. She opened her mouth to gasp for air, but there was none to be found. Instead she sucked the plastic over her face into her mouth. Her lungs were shrieking, desperate for any molecule of oxygen they could get. Her body started jerking involuntarily; a blackness began creeping inward from the edges of her vision.

"Off," Bennet ordered.

When the plastic left her face, Dani gasped. It was painful to refill her lungs after that long without air. Regardless, she gulped as much of it as she could, certain that it was only a matter of time before the bag returned. She was right. At Bennet's command, Damian shoved the bag back over her face and tightened it again. This time she tried to fight back, pulling and jerking against Damian's grip on the plastic. He wasn't prepared for that response and he lost his hold on the bag for a moment. Bennet assisted with another punch that brought more blood. With nowhere to go, the blood pooled inside her mouth. When she ran out of oxygen and fruitlessly gasped within the plastic, she got the blood instead. Unable to get any air to help expel the liquid, Dani was choking.

She vaguely heard the door to the room open again. But that wasn't a priority. Again, her body was shaking violently, against her will. Her vision was fading away completely.

"Dani? DANI?!"

Somewhere in her subconscious, she recognized Malcolm's voice. There was a scuffle and the bag on her head loosened.

"Dani!"

She leaned forward and shook off the plastic, coughing up blood onto the floor between her legs. She tried to take a breath but struggled to get air. Too much liquid was in her throat with no way to expel it. Dani leaned as far over as she could with her arms tied to the chair, praying gravity would help. After a few attempts, she was able to properly cough. When she did, the remaining blood in her throat cleared.

Dani turned her head, still leaning forward, and saw him. Malcolm was in the room with her.

Luca was holding his nose, blood dripping through his fingers, while simultaneously being held back by Damian.

Bennet had Malcolm pinned against the wall by the door. A small trail of blood ran down the side of Malcolm's face. He was staring at her, horrified.

* * *

The back of the van opened and someone snatched the hood from his head. Just as he had left the club, Malcolm willingly left the van, following Luca. It was only a few steps from the van to the door of the building. The surroundings were obscured by other vehicles and storage units.

_Warehouse?_ He sniffed. _Water... Docks. A marina maybe?_

The building was relatively bare. A hallway with multiple rooms, but only the concrete flooring. Luca stopped at a door and waited. Malcolm strained his ears; no one was talking, but there were definite sounds of movement. Luca opened the door and Malcolm peeked over his shoulder.

Malcolm's legs almost gave out. He opened his mouth to yell, but he couldn't find his voice.

_Dani_.

Damian had a plastic bag wrapped tightly over her head; she couldn't breathe. Malcolm's hands mirrored the tremors running through her body, as rage helped him find his voice.

"Dani?" He rushed toward the door, his hands still tied behind him. "DANI?!" Luca stopped him, stepping in front of the door. Malcolm thrust his neck forward and head-butted Luca as hard as he could. He stumbled backward and Malcolm ran into the room. "Dani!"

Bennet grabbed him and threw him against the wall, his forearm against Malcolm's chest. Luca's hands were covered in the blood that was rushing from his nose. He started toward Malcolm when Damian got to him, holding him back. Malcolm didn't even try to fight back against Bennet. His entire body ran cold as he watched Dani lean over and cough a substantial amount of blood onto the floor.

"_I needed you." _

Dani turned her head and looked up at him, a trail of crimson running down her chin. Malcolm exhaled in a stunned huff at the sight of his nightmare come to life.


	11. Chapter 11

_No. _

Malcolm tasted bile in the back of his mouth and tried to swallow it down. His head was humming. In his nightmares, the vision of Dani had been far gorier, but the reality of seeing her _actual_ blood was even worse. She was still panting, trying to catch her breath. Her cheeks were blushed, and slightly swollen.

_They hit her. That explains the blood. _

Malcolm's head never moved, but his eyes shifted down to Bennet's arm pinning him. His knuckles were a bright red.

_He hit her._

Luca had finally calmed down and was cleaning his face. With Luca's anger in check, Damian walked over and picked up the plastic bag that was on the floor in front of Dani.

_He tortured her. _

Malcolm wasn't even conscious of the fact that he was making a list. But he was nonetheless.

Dani was staring back at him, both shocked and saddened by his presence.

"Malcolm?"

A small sigh of relief escaped him. In the back of his mind, he was expecting her to say one of the lines from his nightmares.

"Hey," he replied.

Bennet removed his arm from Malcolm's chest, and backed away, "How touching." He walked to the other chair in the room and retrieved his suit jacket. Once he'd put it on, he brought the chair back with him and sat it six feet in front of Dani, then motioned for Malcolm to take the seat. Begrudgingly, Malcolm complied. Just like he had for Dani, Damian connected Malcolm's restraints to the chair.

Dani's eyes were wide, afraid. He was scared too, but he refused to frighten Dani further by letting her see it. If beating and suffocating her was Bennet's opening act, Malcolm was terrified of what else he had in store.

Bennet paced back and forth next to them, while Damian and Luca waited in the wings. "Let's play a little game."

_Wonderful_, Malcolm thought.

Bennet stopped and turned to face them, "I'm going to ask you a few questions. Failure to respond, or false responses will earn punishment. Answer truthfully… and the pain will be far less severe.

"If you're still going to hurt us, why would we tell you anything?" Malcolm's response exited before he had the chance to filter it.

Bennet walked over to Malcolm, stared him down for a few seconds, and smirked. Then he took two steps toward Dani, and backhanded her. Her head flew to the side and she held it there for a moment, waiting for the pain to pass.

Malcolm jerked in his chair, pulling at the ties on his wrists. Bennet turned back to him, answering his previous question, "Rest assured. I will motivate you, Mr. Bright."

Malcolm clenched and unclenched his fists, attempting to subdue the surge of anger that ran through him. He bit the inside of his cheek, stopping himself from saying something that would result in Dani getting hurt again, and glared at Bennet through partially squinted eyes.

Gil was pacing the conference room of the precinct. It had been an hour since they entered the club and found no one. An hour since Bright completely dropped off of the radar in a matter of minutes. An hour and a half since anyone had last seen or heard from Dani. His team, no... his children, were out there. Alone. Their lives in danger. He'd fought the urge to break down multiple times already. Leaders weren't permitted the breakdown until after the situation was over. Every minute they were gone the statistics for their safe recovery diminished drastically. And they were no closer to finding them now then they had been when they got to the club.

One witness claimed to have seen a white delivery van speeding down the back alley, but she hadn't seen the license plate. The NYPD had immediate access to the city's CCTV cameras and had been searching for possible white vans. With regular deliveries in and out of back alleys on a daily basis, though, they were swimming in a sea of white vans. They'd only just gotten access to the security cameras of the buildings surrounding the club. And they needed at least a partial plate if they had any hope of figuring out where Bright had gone.

J.T. was standing over the shoulder of another officer who was combing through the footage on a laptop. "There!" he said, pointing at the screen. "Go back a few frames." Gil rushed around to their side of the table to join them. "There! Can you zoom in on the plate?"

"What is that, and eight?" Gil asked, "Maybe a B?"

"It's definitely a B the left side is flat," the officer chimed in.

"B9X- anyone got the next one?"

No one responded.

"That's a start," J.T. said, rushing out to the bullpen, handing the partial plate information to another officer for him to run.

Gil straightened back up and directed his instructions to the officer behind the laptop, "Okay, with that partial, let's see if we can track the van through the CCTV traffic cams."

J.T. returned to the room, "I've got three people checking BMV and title records for properties and vehicles owned by Bennet, known Niners, and associates."

Gil nodded, "Good." J.T. opened his mouth as though he was going to speak, then closed it again. Gil raised an eyebrow in question, "What is it?"

He sighed, "There's something you should know, boss."

Gil swallowed; J.T. rarely struggled to tell him anything. "Okay. So, tell me."

The detective looked down at the floor for a moment before continuing, "Bright skipped out on lunch with us Sunday, because Dani called him. Bennet caught her in his office. She managed to get the drive back to him cleanly, but when it started to error…"

Gil's stomach churned, "What, J.T.?"

"Bennet attacked Dani. He choked her, almost to the point of blacking out. Then he hit her. Hard enough that Bright's doc had to liquid stitch her head."

"And no one told me this, why?!" he yelled. It was hard for him to check the anger in his response.

"They were afraid you'd call the op if you knew." J.T. looked away, contrite.

Gil threw his arms up in frustration, "You're damn right I would have called the op! Now, not only is Dani missing, she's missing, with a concussion, with the guy who almost killed her two days ago!" He rubbed his forehead, then took a deep breath, calming his temper. "Did you see her? Is she okay?"

"She was banged up, nasty bruises on her neck from Bennet's hands. But she said she was okay."

Gil huffed, "Of course she did. She's Dani."

"Yeah," J.T. smiled.

"Anything else I should know?" Gil's stare was unrelenting, watching as his teammate shifted uncomfortably. "J.T.?"

"It's not work related, per se," he replied.

The lieutenant crossed his arms, "Is it something I should know?"

"No. Yes. I don't know. I don't even know if they know," the detective was rambling.

"They, who? Bright and Dani?"

J.T. nodded, "Dani was there when I went to drop off your gun. I was definitely getting vibes from both of them."

"Vibes?" he shook his head confused.

"Like there's-something-going-on vibes."

Gil's eyebrows shot up, "Dani and Bright? As in _together_?"

"It felt like they didn't exactly have an answer for that yet. But definitely something going on there."

"No kidding? Huh." Gil glanced around the conference room, trying to figure out where the conversation should go now. "Okay so, let me know what they find with properties and titles. I'll look into bank records and see if there's anything there that might lead us to a location."

"Got it," J.T. nodded as he left to go check what the officers had found.

Gil sipped his coffee.

_Bright and Dani? _He mused, a smile creeping across his face. _Good for them. _

He started flipping through Bennet's bank records. His mood instantly shifted, the gravity of the situation returning in full force. None of this mattered if they didn't locate them soon. His team, these kids, were all he had.

He would do whatever it takes to reunite his family.

Malcolm gazed into Dani's eyes. Neither of them spoke, but once again, they had a full conversation in complete silence.

Bennet broke the spell, "Let's get started shall we?" He continued pacing next to them. "Dani," her eyes shifted to him as he spoke, "I'm assuming you knew Malcolm prior to this little undercover foray. Is that true?"

Malcolm was relieved at the simplicity of the question, although he wasn't foolish enough to believe they would all be so easy.

"Yes," Dani replied shortly.

"Malcolm: We know Dani is a detective with the NYPD. You're on this op, yet your name isn't anywhere on the documents I received. Why is that?"

"If my name isn't on the documents, then how do you know I'm Bright and not Walker?" Malcolm countered.

Bennet merely smiled, knowingly, the smile morphing into a sadistic grin as he nodded to his number two. Luca happily obliged. He strode quickly over to Malcolm and put all of his weight into a cross that connected with the unbruised side of Malcolm's face.

The sound of Luca's fist connecting echoed throughout Malcolm's head. He squinted and blinked rapidly, as his eyes suddenly became hypersensitive to the light in the room. Before he could fully regain his bearings, Luca hit him again, this time the ribs. The ribs that, as of this morning, were already painted black and blue from chest to navel.

"Mmmmph." Malcolm held in as much of the sound as he possibly could. Then, hissed away the rest of the exhale. He only managed to inhale about half way before the searing pain started.

_If it wasn't broken before, it is now._

Luca pulled his arm back again.

"Wait!" Dani interrupted, "He's not a cop." Malcolm looked up at her, grateful, but concerned at how far she intended to take the explanation.

"Really?" Bennet turned from her to him, "then what is he?" When neither of them answered Bennet grabbed a fist full of Dani's hair and pulled her head backward, motioning Damian to resume what he had started before Malcolm came in.

"No!" Malcolm yelled, lunging forward in his chair, the ties cutting into his wrists. "I'm a profiler," he admitted.

Bennet released Dani's hair and tilted his head to the side, staring at Malcolm. "You're a fed?" He spat the last word, as though it were poison on his tongue and walked toward him.

"Consultant," Malcolm winced whenever he inhaled. "Ex fed. The Bureau and I had a bit of a falling out. I profile killers for the NYPD."

"So, you've been profiling me. Tell me, Mr. Bright, what did you come up with?"

Malcolm knew better than to fall into that trap. No matter what he said, Bennet would get angry and either he or Dani would end up on the other end of that animosity. However, he also knew that if he didn't say something, it would happen anyway. Malcolm decided to go generic and pray Bennet didn't press for more.

"You like to be in control. You have contingencies for your contingencies, and therefore you're rarely surprised by anything."

"Go on."

"Even though you run a large operation, you only truly trust a select few. Even within your inner circle, there are some who you don't fully trust." Malcolm looked up at Luca and Damian for emphasis.

Bennet grinned again, "You are good at your job, Mr. Bright." Then he directed his gaze back to Dani. "Detective Powell, you admitted to knowing Mr. Bright prior to this op, that you work together on a regular basis."

She furrowed her brows, confused at the repeat question, "Yes. He consults with my team."

"So… were you fucking him before you started working at my club?"

Malcolm couldn't help but roll his eyes.

_Seriously?_

Dani replied honestly, "No."

"But you are now," Bennet pried.

She looked to Malcolm for guidance. He hesitated. Not because he cared if Bennet knew they'd slept together, but because acknowledging their relationship gave him leverage over them. An arsenal of leverage.

They paused for too long. Bennet glared at Malcolm and reached for his neck. Instead of feeling the pressure he was expecting, Malcolm felt his tie loosen as Bennet removed it. Then he returned to Dani, walked behind her, and wrapped it around her neck, pulling it tight.

"No! Stop!" Malcolm begged, as Dani was once again gasping for air. "Yes! The answer is yes!"

Bennet released the tie slowly and dropped it to the floor. He snapped his fingers and opened his palm expectantly. Luca responded by pulling Malcolm's gun from behind his back and placing it in Bennet's open hand. Malcolm's pulse lurched.

_Not her. Not her. Me. _

Malcolm's heart sank as Bennet remained behind Dani. He examined the weapon closely, not looking up as he spoke.

"Mr. Bright, was my office the first time the two of you were together?"

"No."

"You hadn't slept together before the op, but the first time you met on the op wasn't your first time? That doesn't add up."

Malcolm responded instantly, fearful of what Bennet intended with Gil's gun. "No. I mean we didn't have sex in your office. We faked it to get the drive."

Bennet laughed, "Clever. But I have a hard time believing that everything I watched on that footage was faked." He leaned down, resting his head on Dani's right shoulder and purposefully putting the hand holding the Glock on her other one. "Dani, am I wrong?"

She lowered her head, embarrassed, "No."

"Ahh, so my office was the catalyst? The spark that lit the fire." Neither of them answered, but this time Bennet didn't punish their silence. He simply took it as confirmation. His tone shifted and he completely changed the subject. "Malcolm, you planned the ammunition exchange for Saturday. Do you actually have the cartridges or was it a farce?"

_Shit_.

Malcolm tried to run through the outcomes of both possible answers as quickly as he could. Either way this question wasn't going to end well.

"Malcolm!" Bennet was growing impatient.

He chose honesty as the less likely course of violence, "Yes we have the cartridges, from a bust at the port a month ago."

Bennet pondered for a moment. Dani was questioning Malcolm's plan with wide eyes. He responded by shaking his head almost imperceptibly.

Without warning, Bennet strode quickly over to Malcolm, "You're going to get me those cartridges. Today."

Panic hit Malcolm like a tidal wave. "There's no way," he explained, "our boss has to sign a release of evidence for anyone to get them out of the vault."

"Figure it out." He huffed, turning away from Malcolm.

"Bennet, it's impossible. They know we've been taken. They'll be on high alert. There's no way anyone is getting that ammo out."

Bennet turned angrily around, "Well, that's unfortunate." He cocked the gun and strode over to Dani, pointing it at her temple.

"Wait! Wait! Wait!" Malcolm begged, trying to stand while tethered to the chair. Luca slammed him back down into his seat.

"Shut up!" Bennet spat, taking a deep breath. He moved closer to Dani, pressing the barrel of the gun against her head, as she closed her eyes. "Malcolm, you're in love with this woman, are you not?"

Malcolm jerked his head back, surprised by the question. Dani's eyes flew back open.

"What?" he replied.

"It's not exactly difficult to tell," Bennet retorted, pushing Dani's head with the gun. "Yes or no?"

Malcolm's mouth went dry and he tried to swallow. She was staring at him, awaiting his answer. He met her gaze and held it while responding to Bennet, "Yes."

Dani couldn't help but smile, a small tear falling from the corner of her eye as she blinked.

Bennet's voice shattered the moment, "Then I'm assuming watching me put a hole in her head would be a painful experience for you."

"Please," Malcolm implored. His breathing was shaky, terrified.

Bennet nodded to Luca, who bent down behind Malcolm and cut his wrists free. "Get me those cartridges by midnight Mr. Bright, or Dani dies."


	12. Chapter 12

Malcolm rubbed his wrists, tiny cuts from where he pulled at the ties made a thin bracelet around each of them.

Bennet hadn't moved, his gun was still flush against Dani's temple. "Luca, take Mr. Bright back to the club." He turned to Malcolm, "Your car is there."

He nodded.

"Luca will return your weapon and phone when he drops you off. Your phone is turned off; you will keep it that way until after we have made the exchange. We will track your location through your BMW. There's been a device on it since the first day you came to my club."

_That's how they knew. My apartment, the buzzer. _

Bennet continued, "Once you tell me you have the cartridges, and we see that you are safely away from the precinct, I'll text you details about the exchange location. If you try anything with your friends at the NYPD, or if you fail to bring me the ammunition by midnight, I will shoot both of Dani's legs and drop her in the middle of the ocean."

Malcolm closed his eyes. Try as he may, he couldn't keep the vision of Dani sinking below the water from his mind. He shook it away as quickly as he possibly could.

_So, he does have a boat here. _

"You have five hours, Mr. Bright." Bennet finally lowered his weapon. Dani exhaled the breath she'd been holding.

Malcolm stood, took two steps forward, then crouched in front of Dani. He reached up and took her head in his hands, "I'll be back soon."

She nodded, as he leaned forward and kissed her. "I promise," he whispered, pulling back to look her in the eyes. It was effortless to get lost in the sheer depth of them.

His mouth twitched, but never opened.

_I love you. _

Her gaze misted and again. Dani nodded, blinking away tears. She knew it, but he couldn't bear to say the actual words for the first time in front of the man threatening to kill her.

Malcolm stood, and headed toward the door, Luca close behind.

* * *

Luca pulled into a parking spot a block away from Diablo. There were marked cars outside of the building, some officers lingering after Gil had come looking for him. Malcolm was relieved to see that the BMW was still a few spots down from the club; they hadn't towed it back to the precinct.

_Bennet would have known that, _he reminded himself.

Luca tossed Malcolm's phone at him, then pulled a gun out from the arm rest, pointing it at the profiler.

Malcolm sighed and rolled his eyes. "Just give me my gun. I'm not going to shoot you," he glared up at him, "yet."

Luca chuckled, but still slowly handed him the Glock. Malcolm checked the magazine to see if there were even any bullets in it. Surprisingly it was, indeed, loaded. He hid it behind his back and exited the car, slamming the door behind him.

One of the many wonderful things about the city, was that you didn't have to try very hard to be anonymous. Blending into the crowd was easy. Malcolm kept his head down, looked like he was in a hurry, and made it to his car without any of the officers even giving him a second glance. The odds that any of them even knew what he looked like were slim anyway.

He pulled out of the space still unsure of exactly where he was going. Obviously he needed to get into the precinct, but that was going to take some planning. He'd already lost half an hour to travel time from the marina. Ten blocks later, and deep in thought about how he was going to pull this off, Malcolm realized he was subconsciously driving home. He drove by building twice to make sure no one was watching his apartment, even then he parked over a block down from it.

Once he was inside he went to his closet for a change of clothes, and headed to the bathroom. Malcolm unbuttoned his shirt and tenderly pulled it off. His torso was a fireworks display in all blues and purples. The left side of his ribcage was swollen, the rib had to be fractured at least, if not completely broken. To help him breathe easier, he decided to wrap it. After splashing some water on his face and running his fingers through his hair, Malcolm realized there was nothing he could do to make his face less conspicuous. One side had a baseball-sized bruise, while the other was red and puffy from Luca's punch today. There was no hiding that, and it would inevitably draw people's attention.

Redressed, Malcolm ascended the stairs to his office, opening his laptop. It took him longer than he wanted to find the evidence requisition form he needed. Once he found it, he sent it to his printer. Pen in hand, he paused. It hurt him to forge Gil's signature at the bottom, but it had to be done. Folding the documents in half and slipping them into the breast pocket of his jacket, Malcolm was halfway out of his office door when he heard a key opening his door.

He stepped back into the office, listening.

"-continue to dodge my calls Lieutenant Arroyo, I have no problem paying you a visit at the precinct. I haven't heard from my son in five days. Return my calls if you wish to avoid my making a fantastic scene in front of your subordinates. Ciao."

_Mother. _He pictured the dirty clothes on his bathroom floor.

_Shit. _She knew him well enough to know he wouldn't just leave his apartment with them there. It wouldn't be long before she knew he was here.

_Fire escape._ Never had he been more grateful that the fire escape was out the office window.

He was closing the window back when he heard his mother call, "Malcolm?" He sped down the two flights of iron stairs, jumping the last 6 feet to the pavement, and rushed around the corner, before unlocking the BMW.

_Jesus. This was supposed to be the simple part,_ he thought, the rumble of the engine purred as he pushed the button, and pulled out of the space, en route to the precinct.

* * *

Malcolm sat in the car, staring unfocused out the windshield. He parked on the first floor of the garage on the south side of the building. It was risky, but would be the fastest way to reach his car once he needed to leave.

He checked his watch, _Three hours._

The entire plan hinged on the clerk not recognizing him. Precarious didn't even begin to sum it up, but it was the best he could think of, given he needed someone to actually unlock the vault door for him. Malcolm didn't consider himself a religious person, but he closed his eyes and prayed nevertheless. To whom, was anyone's guess.

_Please. Please, let this work. _

His gun still hidden behind his back, Malcolm stepped out of the car and into the precinct. Stairs were safest, less people. He descended down the two floors to the evidence vault. Before exiting the stairwell, he paused for a moment and took a deep breath.

"Here we go," he whispered, opening the door.

Thankfully there weren't any other officers waiting. Malcolm walked confidently up to the counter and smiled. "Hello," he said, reading his name tag. _Varga._

The officer behind the counter was clearly bored, his gun was completely disassembled for cleaning, down to the springs and silencer. He was reading a page of The Times from three days ago. He looked up from it gratefully, immediately noticing Malcolm's injuries.

"Wow, rough day?"

"You have no idea," Malcolm admitted.

"What can I do for you?"

Malcolm reached into his breast pocket and produced the requisition form. His hands were shaking nervously, as Officer Varga read it over.

"Just the two things then?" he asked.

Malcolm exhaled, "Yes. Thank you."

Varga turned and left the counter. As he did, the elevator dinged.

_Shit_.

He didn't dare turn around, if it was someone he knew, he'd be outed soon enough. The footsteps grew closer, and stopped next to Malcolm, who glanced sideways.

The officer nodded at him, "How you doing?"

"Meh. You?"

"Better than you from the looks of it," he replied.

Malcolm nervously huffed, "Shyeah."

Officer Varga returned. "Okay, please verify that the items provided to you match the ones requested on your form. One canister 5.7 mil 40 grain cartridges, 200 count. Does this match the item requested on your paper? If so please sign here." Malcolm signed the bottom of the paperwork, as officer Varga turned his attention to the other man. Malcolm reached over and laid the paperwork on top of the disassembled pieces of the gun, deftly picking up the silencer as he pulled back his hand. He pocketed it and picked up the canister of ammo, nodding to the officers while turning to leave. He took the stairs two at a time, climbing the two flights back to the ground floor.

_Almost there_, he coached himself. He peeked through the rectangular slit in the stairwell door before exiting, making sure that no one he knew was within view. Then, he stepped out into the lobby.

_30 feet. Be confident. _

He nodded at those he passed, making eye contact deliberately, so as not to seem suspicious. As he passed the elevators, they dinged and he sped up just enough to not bring attention to himself, not daring to look and see who might have exited them.

He was walking through the first set of exit doors into the vestibule, when J.T. exited the elevator. Malcolm's expensive suit was the first thing that caught his eye. The hair/stature of the wearer was the reason he sped in his direction.

When Malcolm exited the building he practically sprinted up the incline to the car. He was only a few spaces away when he heard the yell.

"BRIGHT!"

_J.T. Damn it. _

His heart sank.

He made it to the drivers side of the BMW before J.T. caught up with him. Malcolm quickly sat the canister of ammo down behind him, positioning his legs to attempt to hide it from view.

"Bright? What happened? How are you here right now?" J.T. was genuinely concerned, making his guilt all the more painful.

Malcolm didn't reply; he simply looked at his watch, then back at his partner.

_Two and a half hours._

"What's going on? Where's Dani?"

The sound of her name brought a sting to the back of Malcolm's throat. He licked his lips and looked down at the pavement beneath him, trying to check his emotions.

Tarmel strategically positioned himself in front of the BMW, blocking Malcolm's exit. "Talk to me, man."

"I can't," Malcolm whispered. "I have to go, J.T."

"Go where?"

He simply shook his head.

"Tell me what's going on."

Malcolm ran his hand through his hair, and rested it on his hip, "He has Dani. I have to go. Now."

"No, you don't. Just talk to me. Let us help."

"This is the only way, J.T. I have to go. Please move!"

J.T. furrowed his brows, "What do you mean 'the only way'?"

Malcolm anxiously shifted his stance, just enough that J.T. saw a glimpse of the canister behind him. He watched as J.T. put the pieces of what he had done together, his hand slowly creeping toward his holster. Malcolm inched the hand on his hip toward the gun hidden behind him, his fingers slowly wrapping around the grip.

The two men made eye contact for a split second, and immediately drew their weapons. Adrenaline surged through Malcolm like a bolt of lightning.

"Tell me that's not what I think it is," J.T. stared at him in disbelief.

Malcolm raised an eyebrow and tilted his head in response.

"You know I can't let you leave with that, Bright."

"I have to, J.T.. Bennet's going to kill Dani if I don't bring him the ammo."

"We can figure something out that doesn't involve giving a cop killer 200 armor piercing bullets. Dani wouldn't want that and you know it!"

"I know! Don't you think I know that?! It's just- there's no time to figure out a better plan. If I don't bring him the canister…"

"What?" the detective asked.

"He said he would shoot her and throw her body in the ocean." His voice was cracked, desperate, his hand shaking. "It's Dani," he bit his lip, the last line of defense against the breakdown. "I can't lose her, J.T."

The torment in Malcolm's voice seemed to derail his teammate for a moment and J.T. slowly lowered his gun. Malcolm in turn did the same, shoving it behind his back again.

"He has a boat?" J.T. asked.

"Yes. We were being held at a marina, in Brooklyn I think," Malcolm put the cartridges in the passenger seat and got in. He rolled down the window waiting for J.T. to move.

"If I step aside and this goes badly, you know I'm implicated too, right?"

"I do."

"So, don't fuck this up," he stepped to the side and walked around to the open window. "I'll work the marina angle and try to find his boat."

"Track my phone, also. It has to be off for now, per Bennet's orders, but as soon as I can, I'll turn it back on. Send the cavalry."

"We will."

"Thank you, J.T." Malcolm started the car.

"Bring our girl back."

"I will." He shifted the car into gear, and sped away. J.T. watched him until the car was out of sight.

* * *

Malcolm had no clue where he was supposed to drive, but he knew Bennet would wait until he was a decent distance from the precinct before contacting him. Based on his best guess about the marina, he headed toward the Brooklyn Bridge. When he was halfway across it, his phone vibrated.

**Kay ave. Navy yard. **

The navy yard was less than fifteen minutes away, especially at this time of night. The area should have been restricted, yet somehow every gate Malcolm came to was already rolled open. It was pitch black this close to the water, with the exception of a few site lights that offered a yellow glow within a limited space around them. Malcolm slowly drove past a long warehouse, coming to a clearing in the pavement. A car blinked it's headlights twice, signaling him to pull in. As he did, he turned on his cell phone, made sure it wouldn't vibrate, and slid it into the side of his Valentino boots. Then, he put the Glock and the stolen silencer in the arm rest. They would take it from him as soon as he got to them anyway.

Malcolm exited the car, canister in hand and slowly walked toward the cone of golden light next to the car that had signaled him. When he was about twenty feet away, the passenger door opened.

"That's close enough Mr. Bright," Bennet's voice called, the wind off the water muffling it somewhat. Malcolm stopped and waited.

_Where's Dani?_

Luca exited the driver's side and walked back to the trunk of the car.

_He put her in the fucking trunk. _

Another line on the list.

Luca pulled Dani roughly from the back of the vehicle. Her arms were now bound in front of her, and her mouth was covered with tape.

A wave of fury spread through Malcolm. It started in his chest, immediately overheating him, and tingled as it advanced out to his extremities. His hands trembled, unable to contain the rageful energy surging through them.

Bennet motioned for Luca to bring Dani to him. Once she was in front of him he shoved her to her knees in the center of the golden light. Malcolm watched in horror as Bennet pulled his gun, and placed it next to Dani's head, yet again.


	13. Chapter 13

J.T. paced the parking garage of the precinct a couple of times before heading back inside the building. It didn't matter how many times he ran through it, there was no good way to tell Gil what was happening. He needed to, though, now, so that they could prepare to help their teammates.

When he entered the office, he quickly found Gil in the conference room. The lieutenant's focus raised from a stack of papers when J.T. walked toward him.

"What's up, J.T.?" he asked, clearly seeing his detective was on a mission.

"There's a lot I need to tell you, and we don't have much time. So respectfully, Boss, please don't interrupt."

Gil raised his eyebrows and leaned back in his chair, arms crossed. He was slightly irked at his tone, but given that Tarmel rarely spoke to him that way, he was ready to listen.

"Bright was just here," he began.

Gil uncrossed his arms and opened his mouth to speak.

J.T. held his hands up, "Let me finish. He forged your signature on a requisition form to get the ammunition from evidence."

Gil threw up his arms in frustration, and threw them back on the table, shoving himself into a standing position. When J.T. stared at him, pleading for a minute, he silently gestured for him to continue, while seething.

"Bennet told Bright if he didn't bring him the ammo by midnight tonight, then he was going to shoot Dani and throw her into the ocean. There wasn't enough time to prepare a sting or get a team together. His only option was to make the exchange to save Dani. We need to look into possible watercraft titles under Bennet's name. Bright said they were held at a marina. That, paired with the threat, says boat. He left here five minutes ago to make the exchange; we need to track his phone. As soon as he can, he will turn it back on so we can get a pick up location. We're going to need medics, his face was pretty rough looking. I'm guessing they both need medical attention ASAP."

After a pause in which Gil did nothing but stare daggers at him, J.T. added, "That's it."

Gil immediately started yelling, "YOU KNEW HE HAD THE CARTRIDGES AND YOU JUST LET HIM GO?!"

J.T. raised his voice in defense, "Not initially. I drew on him, but he drew too. Then he told me about the threat to Dani. Boss, he was barely holding it together. My options were shoot him or let him go. I made the call."

"Two hundred armor-piercing rounds, J.T.! TWO HUNDRED!"

"Bright's going to signal us as soon as he's there. We can still bust Bennet and get the ammo back."

"I can't believe this!" Gil slammed his palm on the conference room table, "From you of all people!"

If he was being honest, J.T. agreed with his boss on that front. But it was a judgement call he had to make in the moment. Dani's life outranked his punishment. "Look, whatever repercussions I've earned, I'll take - tomorrow. Tonight we have to get Dani back."

Gil glared at him for a second, growled in frustration, and left the conference room. J.T. watched as he spoke to multiple detectives in the bullpen, each of them scattering afterward. When he returned he addressed J.T., "Mullins is tracking his phone. Allen and Monroe are working boat titles. We're putting in a call to ESU, but depending on when we get a hit on Bright, they may not be ready." He moved closer, "For the record, there absolutely WILL be repercussions for letting a civilian leave this property with stolen illegal ammunition. Ammo that you knew he intended to hand over to a known cop killer. I can't let that slide, J.T."

He nodded, silently.

Gil took a deep breath, "But you're right, that's for tomorrow. Tonight we get Dani and Bright back." Another officer entered the conference room, handing each of them a protective vest. "We need to suit up and be ready to leave."

They put on the vests, checked their weapons for ammo and headed to the parking lot to wait. Gil spoke to the four other officers waiting with them, detailing the situation and what was to happen upon arrival at the location. Five minutes into his orders, J.T. got a call. Gil immediately stopped speaking and turned toward him expectantly.

"Got it," J.T. said, ending the call. "Navy yard, Kay Avenue."

Gil nodded, "Let's go!"

* * *

"Hands in the air," Bennet ordered.

Malcolm set the canister down, and raised his arms. Luca made his way over to him, frisking him for weapons. Malcolm's pulse jumped as Luca patted down his legs, to his ankles.

_Not the shoes. Not the shoes._

"He's clean," Luca called.

Bennet motioned for them to come closer. Malcolm picked the canister back up and moved forward cautiously. When they were ten feet away Bennet held up his free hand to stop them both.

Dani had fresh marks on her face. She stared at him, eyes wide and full of terror, Bennet's gun inches from the side of her head. Her shirt- his shirt- was open in the front down to her bra. Malcolm noticed the buttons were missing; the shirt had been ripped open. He slowly turned his head to Luca standing beside him, who met his gaze and smirked. The thoughts that flooded Malcolm's mind frightened even him. If Dani didn't have a gun to her head, Luca wouldn't be breathing. There was no rage-induced hyperbole. Only fact. Without the threat to Dani, he would have completely lost control and killed Luca.

"You made good time, Mr. Bright. Two hours to spare, impressive." Bennet directed his next words to Luca, "Bring me the cartridges." Luca opened the canister for him to inspect the ammunition. "How did you manage to get them from the precinct?"

"I forged a signature on a requisition form," he admitted. His eyes bounced back and forth between Bennet and Dani, anxiously waiting for him to lower the weapon. "It's done," he coaxed, "You have what you want. Let Dani go." Malcolm's heart was racing, fear fueling it's every beat.

Bennet smiled, lowering the gun and reaching into his pocket for his knife. As he bent down next to Dani he spoke to Malcolm, not her, "You know the reason I started executing cops, Mr. Bright?"

_Just let her go._

"Do you?"

"Yes," Malcolm wanted nothing more than for this to be over, "Your wife."

"My wife, Joslynn." Bennet's demeanor softened at the mention of her name. The hate in his eyes shifted to unconditional love, if only for a moment. "They set her up in a sting. She was never a part of my business. Joslynn was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. They couldn't get to me. No matter how hard they tried, they couldn't pin anything. So, they used her, my pregnant wife," He opened the knife, and Malcolm lurched forward, but caught himself when he realized Bennet was cutting Dani free. After releasing her wrists, Bennet gently pulled the tape from her mouth, and brushed the hair away from her face, "They made it personal," he added.

He stood, pulling her up to her feet as well. Neither Dani nor Malcolm dared move. She looked at Bennet, awaiting instructions.

Malcolm's breaths were shallow, frenzied.

_Come on. Come on. _

Bennet waved his upward palm toward Malcolm, instructing Dani to go. She hesitated for a moment, looking at him questioningly, then at Malcolm for confirmation. Malcolm nodded tentatively and held out his hand. When Dani turned and started walking, Bennet continued, "Now, I'm making it personal."

Malcolm watched as Bennet's arm raised, the gun pointing at her back.

"NOOOOOOO!"

The shot echoed infinitely out over the water.

Malcolm's arms were outstretched in front of him as Dani's torso jerked. Her head whipped back and her steps halted, feet from him. She looked at Malcolm, confused. Then down at herself, as her shirt - _his_ white shirt - slowly flooded with red. Once more she looked back up at him, before collapsing.

Malcolm lunged and caught her head inches from the pavement, as Bennet and Luca rushed to their car and sped away with the ammunition.

"Dani?" Her eyes were still open as he gently laid her down. Malcolm found the exit wound on the right side of her chest a few inches below her collarbone and applied pressure with his hand. It was covered in blood in an instant. He grabbed his phone with the other hand and dialed.

"I need an ambulance at the navy yard. Kay avenue. I have an officer down, gunshot wound in the chest." Once he heard confirmation, he tossed the phone aside bringing both hands to Dani's injury. She was trying to speak, but no sound came. "It's okay. Everything's going to be okay. Medics are on the way."

"Ma-," she blurted, unable to finish the word, his name.

"I'm here. I'm here, Dani. You're going to be okay." His hands were drenched in her blood. No matter how hard he pressed, it was still pouring from the exit wound uncontrollably.

She brought her left hand up to his forearm and he met her gaze, attempting not to show her his unmitigated fear. Dani's lips pressed together and she closed her eyes, the pain was too much. When she opened them again tears fell down the sides of her face.

Dani moved the hand on Malcolm's forearm to the side of his face and he leaned into it, smiling down at her. She took a short, labored breath that ended in a rattle and a small cough. Blood splattered her lips.

_Her lung. _

Malcolm's eyes searched frantically for a way to help, but found nothing. Dani started convulsing, as she tried to take another breath. Her mouth opened, gasping for air that met a blood-filled pathway.

Her eyes started to roll back into her head, "Stay with me, Dani," Malcolm begged. "Hold on. Stay with me, please."

He moved one hand to her neck, raising her head slightly. For a moment her eyes focused again; they found his and locked in, her body still spasming.

"I love you," Malcolm confessed, his entire world crashing down around him. "I need you to stay."

A hint of a smile found the corners of Dani's lips, she opened her mouth as if to respond. As soon as her lips parted, blood oozed down her chin, Malcolm's nightmares tormenting him once more.

"No," he whispered in terror. "No. no. no. no." He repeated the word compulsively. Dani's chest and head jerked violently, desperately trying to get air. In the distance, he heard the sirens screaming, slowly creeping closer.

_They're not going to make it._

"Please, they're almost here. Just a little longer," Malcolm implored.

His pleads were futile. With one final twitch, Dani's eyes rolled back again, and her body went limp in his arms.

Sound dulled, muffled. The only thing Malcolm could hear was the thunderous pounding of his own heartbeat, mocking him. Silent tears flooded his cheeks, a soundless wail exiting his open mouth. Slowly, he leaned in and touched Dani's forehead with his. "Come back," he whispered, "Come back."

He had no idea the medics had even arrived, until he was being pulled off of her. As he watched the EMTs perform CPR, his stomach heaved. Panic was setting in; the tremors in both hands were uncontrollable. His breaths were speeding up against his will, causing him to hyperventilate. He ran his hands through his hair, completely forgetting about the blood that covered them, and grabbed hold, pulling. The edges of his vision began to blur and fade. In the back of his mind he knew he should sit down, but he was incapable of making the conscious effort to do so. The pavement started tilting sideways.

"Bright?!" Gil's frantic yell pulled him back from the ledge. Malcolm felt his hand on his back. "Are you okay?! What happened?"

Malcolm stared unfocused at the scene in front of him and whispered, "Dani."

J.T. sprinted to the medics.

Gil watched them work on Dani for a moment, before continuing to question him, "What happened, Bright?"

"He shot her." Malcolm whispered. His eyes, still in disbelief, found his surrogate father's, "He shot her, Gil."

One of the medics yelled, "We have to get moving now! She's not going to make it if we don't."

All the air left Malcolm's lungs, his mouth open in shock. He didn't even blink, as he watched them push the gurney into the ambulance. J.T. waved at Gil and pointed, signaling that he was going with Dani.

Gil nodded. "How bad?" he asked.

"Bad," Malcolm ran his hands through his already blood-streaked hair again, attempting to hold back the hysterical sobs that were trying to claw their way out of his chest, "I think it hit her lung."

Gil rubbed the back of his neck, then his brow, before looking back at Malcolm, assessing his condition. There was a lot of blood. "Are you hurt?"

Malcolm shifted his eyes to him.

"Injured, I mean," Gil corrected.

The profiler shook his head.

Seconds after the ambulance drove past them, Gil's phone rang, "It's J.T.," he said, putting it on speaker. "Yeah?"

"Monroe got a hit on Bennet's boat. It's a Christensen. One Fifteen Marina, Brooklyn."

Gil looked up at him, "Bright, does Bennet have the cartridges?"

_Fuck._

"Yes," he breathed, mortified.

"No pulse!" an EMT yelled in the background of the call. "Get the defib."

Malcolm's blood ran cold. He couldn't breathe.

"I gotta go," J.T. said, hanging up.

Gil looked over at Malcolm, "She's going to make it."

"We don't know that," he replied frankly, not bothering to look back at him.

They both heard the call. Dani was dying. He was losing her forever, even as they spoke. The ache in his chest was crippling. It felt like his sternum was being ripped in half. He clawed at the front of his shirt, trying to relieve the pressure. There was no way he would survive this pain. His chest heaved, begging for air.

Gil reached for him, "Bright? What's wrong?"

He couldn't respond.

As quickly as it started, the pain vanished. A self-preservative numbness started spreading throughout Malcolm's body. It began in his chest, releasing the grip on his lungs, slowing his pulse. His hands steadied. Then it crept up his chest and neck, to his head. His vision cleared. The tears that a moment ago were endless, just stopped completely. Malcolm stood there, frozen, detached from reality.

The other officers were standing a few feet away. Once Gil was convinced that Malcolm wasn't in immediate danger, he turned to them barking orders about securing the perimeter, and canvassing for evidence. He looked back over his shoulder, "How long has Bennet been gone?"

Malcolm stared blankly at him, as Gil's phone rang yet again. He held up his finger, asking Malcolm to give him a second, then turned away from him, discussing Dani's situation with whomever was on the other line. Gil motioned for one of the other officers to come to him.

"No. Send units to Bennet's home, the club, any known associated location. He's in the wind with the cartridges. We cannot let him disappear."

_Bennet._

The sound of his name flipped a switch in Malcolm. He turned his head slightly, almost robotically. The calm that had overcome him disappeared instantly, like a puff of smoke. Replacing it: unadulterated vengeance.

With Gil's attention in the other direction, Malcolm slowly backed away. Once he was about halfway back to the BMW, he turned and full out sprinted toward the car.

Gil was caught up in the phone call and the officers around him. By the time he finally realized what the sound was, it was too late. He turned, frantic. "Bright! Stop!" he yelled.

Malcolm already had the car started. He sped out of the lot and down the street, unconcerned about Gil or his wrath.

The only thing that mattered was Bennet.

He had to pay.


	14. Chapter 14

When Malcolm reached the marina, the gate was closed. He parked the BMW in front of it, then reached into the arm rest and retrieved the Glock and silencer. His hands, tainted crimson from Dani's blood, were steady as he screwed the silencer into the gun. Before, his anger, his rage had been out of control. It had no purpose and exploded throughout him, attempting to exit anywhere it possibly could. Now, it was focused. The intensity was still there, in truth it had increased astronomically, but it was concentrated in one direction. The difference between static shock and a bolt of lightning. It no longer controlled him; it simply fueled him.

He exited the car and tried the gate, but wasn't surprised when it was locked. Malcolm tucked the gun in his pants and climbed the fence. Then he redrew the weapon, ducking in and out of shadows as much as he could. Past the building where he and Dani were held, were the slips. Row upon row of them, and he had no clue which one was Bennet's. He strained his ears, trying to filter through the city's natural white noise.

_A car door._

To his left, parked by the last row of slips, was Bennet's car. Malcolm weaved between boats and shadows once more. Twenty feet from the vehicle he paused, Damian was the only one near the car.

"_If you like it rough baby, I can give you that...I've got everything you could ever need right here..._" Damian's advances to Dani replayed in Malcolm's head, the now-familiar fury vibrating through him. The uncontrollable tremors in his hands turned to a constant hum. He watched as Damian unloaded supplies from the open trunk and set them out onto the pavement.

_They're trying to run. _

Malcolm crept from slip to slip each time Damian faced the trunk, until he was ten feet from the car. Damian closed the trunk, walked around to the back seat, and leaned in to reach something. Malcolm sprinted toward him, gun drawn.

"Don't move," his tone was calm, demanding. Damian froze, still partially inside the car. "Back out slowly," Malcolm ordered, his gun touching Damian's back as he reversed. "Which slip is Bennet's?"

The giant of a man scoffed, "You ain't shooting me, cop. We both know it."

The sounds of Dani, gasping for breath, inside the plastic bag Damian held around her head, flooded Malcolm's mind. His eyes hardened.

He walked around Damian, to face him, and tightened his grip on the Glock. "I'm not a cop," he replied coldly, squeezing the trigger. Damian looked up at Malcolm in disbelief, before collapsing onto the pavement in a seated position. He grabbed his thigh, calling out in pain.

Malcolm held his finger up to his lips and emphasized the fact that his gun was now pointed at Damian's torso, "Shhh."

Blood was seeping through Damian's pants as he complied.

Malcolm stood over him, "Which slip is Bennet's?" Every syllable oozed malice, "I won't ask again."

"Forty-six," Damian admitted.

"Thank you." Malcolm flipped the gun in his hand and slammed it into the side of Damian's head. He fell over, unconscious.

Slowly, Malcolm made his way down the row.

_Forty-four._

He could hear movement, water sloshing around the shifting yacht.

_Forty-five_

Muffled voices floated from the slip in front of him and Malcolm raised his weapon, stepping silently onto the yacht. No one was on the deck, but he knew better than to descend the stairs with no clue what awaited him. Justice was coming, he could be patient.

He stood behind the stairway exit, so that whoever came up wouldn't initially see him, and strained his ears. It was difficult to make out the conversation; most of it consisted of destination information. None of that mattered to Malcolm, this boat wasn't going anywhere. After a few minutes, Luca was the unlucky one to ascend the stairs to the deck.

Malcolm crept forward as he took the last two stairs, and put his gun to the back of Luca's head. "Not a word," he whispered, nudging him forward with the barrel of the gun. The two men halted just before reaching the uncovered portion of the deck, "On your knees."

"I don't kneel to anyone. I'm sure as hell not kneeling for you," Luca retorted.

Malcolm lashed out and kicked the back of Luca's knees, forcing him to the ground. "You were saying?" he spat, as he walked around to confront Luca face to face.

"_At least we got that video out of it."_

Malcolm pictured Luca watching the footage of him and Dani in Bennet's office, salivating for any glimpse of her he could get. The way he talked to Damian about her...

"You going rogue now, Mr. FBI? Just going to break protocol and shoot everybody, huh?"

"Damian said something similar… before I shot him," Malcolm noted.

Luca tilted his head quizzically, trying to decipher whether or not he was telling the truth, then nodded almost appreciatively. "You probably did. Lot of good it does to be protective of your girl after the fact though." Luca had to put out a hand to catch himself; the force behind Malcolm's punch would have knocked him completely over if he hadn't. He straightened himself back up, rubbing his jaw, as Malcolm raised his gun again. Luca smiled, "Hey, I get it. You fucked up, now you're angry and want revenge. Understandable."

"Shut up," Malcolm ordered.

"I mean, Dani… She was all kinds of fine, though. Gorgeous face. And that body. Damn, that body. Soft, but firm as hell."

The image of the ripped buttons on his shirt, of Dani's exposed skin, of Luca's knowing smirk flashed before Malcolm. A high-pitched ringing started in his ears, as once again his hands vibrated with a focused fury. For the second time that day, Malcolm glared at Luca down the sight of his gun.

"You lost the woman you love. And you just watched it hap-."

Luca's sentence was cut short, his breath stolen from him. He looked down to see the blood spilling from his wound. His was the mirror image of Dani's: same location, opposite direction.

Malcolm stepped back as Luca slumped forward, hitting the deck with a thud.

"Luca?"

Malcolm's head whipped in the direction of the stairs, the thumping of Bennet's footsteps warning of his arrival. He moved away from Luca, hoping the sight of his friend would distract Bennet.

It did. As soon as Bennet reached the top of the stairs, he saw Luca and rushed to him. Malcolm was a foot behind Bennet, gun pointed, when he finally heard him, and turned his head. Bennet remained crouched down by Luca. "Mr. Bright," he acknowledged turning back to his friend as he struggled to breath. "And Damian?"

"Not _as_ bad," Malcolm informed, coldly.

"Do you intend to kill me, Malcolm?" he asked. When he didn't reply, Bennet continued. "If you don't even have enough conviction to answer the question, I seriously doubt you will actually kill a man."

"Tell that to Luca," Malcolm shifted his eyes' focus between Bennet's head and the sight on the end of the Glock.

Bennet grinned, "Perhaps."

Malcolm moved his index finger from the side of the gun to the trigger, and paused.

In that split second, Bennet leapt at Malcolm like a cat, knocking the Glock from his hands and tackling him to the floor. Malcolm's punch connected first, but Bennet countered with two of his own, stunning him for a moment. Bennet grabbed his own gun from under his suit jacket. As he was pointing it, Malcolm quickly smacked the barrel to the side, the bullet indented for him fired into the deck instead. Again his ears rang, this time from the proximity of the gunshot. Malcolm kept Bennet's gun at bay with his left hand and grabbed his neck with his right. He dug his nails into the front of Bennet's throat with everything he had, squeezing his trachea mercilessly.

Finally, Bennet started coughing from the force, and pulled back to free himself from Malcolm's grip. Bennet stood, and Malcolm reached for his gun.

"Ah, ah, ah," Bennet warned, gun pointed, "Up."

Malcolm stood his hands raised at the level of his chest.

"Unlike you, I'm man enough to allow my enemies to die on their feet. Speaking of… How's Dani? Did she die there on the pavement, in your arms? Is that why you're here?"

The pain Malcolm had been suppressing came rushing back in one all-consuming wave of anguish. Visions of Dani, bloody and convulsing filled his mind. His voice played a melody of grief in his head: _Hold on… they're almost here. Just a little longer… I love you. I need you to stay. _Malcolm tried to push it back down, but there was no controlling it now that it had been released. He clutched at the front of his shirt, as though he had already been shot.

Bennet took a step forward, arm still extended.

Despite the agony washing over him, Malcolm saw his opportunity. His hands, stained with Dani's blood, flew up to Bennet's, now within reach. He grabbed the barrel with one hand and his pressure point with the other, disarming Bennet just as he had Damian the first day he arrived at Diablo.

_Come back...Come back._

Without a second thought, Malcolm aimed at Bennet's chest, and fired. Again, the shot echoed infinitely out over the water. Bennet fell backward with a resounding thud.

Malcolm stood, arm and weapon still extended, frozen. His heart was beating so forcefully, it felt as though it would exit his chest. The ringing in his ear had intensified now thanks to the second gunshot. It took a moment for his limbs to cooperate when he told them to move. He crouched and laid Bennet's gun down, then walked over to him, and checked for a pulse. It was there, faint, but present. The odds of him surviving until the medics arrived were slim. Malcolm watched Bennet for another moment, before he pulled out his phone and called for the ambulance.

* * *

Malcolm sprinted through the parking garage of the hospital and into the emergency room doors. His hair was dripping wet from the water the medics gave him to clean himself up. He'd had no clue how much of Dani's blood was in his hair. Pushing the sodden mess back with his hands, he searched the waiting area for a familiar face, eyes bouncing.

"Bright." Gil's voice found him, from a corner by the windows.

Malcolm rushed to him.

_She's alive,_ he profiled. Gil would be devastated right now if she wasn't. There was comfort in that much at least.

Still, a lump formed in his throat as he tried to ask "_How is she?"_ The words simply wouldn't exit.

Gil seemed to understand, and replied to his unasked question. "No word yet. Doctors said she'd lost a lot of blood and was lucky to be alive when they got here. Surgery to repair the lung could take anywhere from one to four hours." He looked at his watch, "It's been a little over an hour, so."

Malcolm nodded his head in response. Given the circumstances, that was as good a report as he could have hoped for.

Gil was staring at him. Malcolm was about to question the look when a nurse approached them, concern written all over her face. Malcolm's heart immediately sank, fearful of the news she might bring.

"Sir, are you hurt?" She asked, staring wide-eyed at him.

"What?"

She waved her hand up and down in front of him, showcasing his clothing. Malcolm had completely forgotten that his clothes were covered in Dani's blood.

"Oh. No I'm-,"

_Not okay. Not fine. Not any of these things._

"This isn't mine," He clarified.

"Speaking of," Gil reached down and retrieved a bag from the seat next to him. "I sent a uni to your place to grab a change of clothes. I assumed you'd be here sooner." He tilted his head slightly to the side questioningly.

Satisfied that the man covered in blood was going to change, the nurse went back to the reception area.

"Thank you," Malcolm said, looking around for the restroom.

"And this," Gil added, handing him a stack of evidence bags. Malcolm furrowed his eyebrows, confused.

"CSI needs all of your clothes for the yacht investigation," Gil explained, eying him.

_So he did know already,_ Malcolm wondered if any of the responding officers had contacted him. Dread creeped into Malcolm's head like a thief in the night. He looked up at his mentor for a split second. Then, using the need to change as an excuse, he rushed away from Gil's perceptive gaze.

When Malcolm returned to the waiting room, Gil gave him a five minute respite before questioning him. "So, you going to tell me what happened at the marina?"

"Bennet had the cartridges. After what he did to Dani, I knew he would try to run. His yacht was the logical mode of quick escape."

"That's great, but none of that answers my question," Gil responded, glaring at him.

Malcolm ran his hands through his now damp hair, frustrated, "What do you want to know, Gil?"

"The truth would be a wonderful start."

Malcolm opened his mouth to reply, when a doctor in a surgical mask and cap exited the swinging doors. A number of people in the waiting room looked up expectantly, the two of them included. When the doctor took off the mask, Gil stood.

_Dani's doctor._

Malcolm tasted bile in the back of his mouth.

"You're with Detective Powell?" the doctor asked.

Gil nodded, "Yes," as Malcolm stood paralyzed with fear.

The doctor looked at them both, his eyes weary. Malcolm forgot to breathe.

"She's out of surgery," he said.

Malcolm inhaled audibly, his breath shaking.

The doctor continued, "She coded twice on the table. Scared the shit out of us. Excuse my language. But, she pulled through. Her vitals are all over the place right now, with the blood loss, the pulmonary edema, the surgery. We definitely aren't out of the woods yet. But she made it through surgery."

Malcolm found his voice, "When can we see her?"

"She has to be out of 'critical' status to have visitors. We will let you know when we get her more stabilized."

"Okay," Gil replied, "Thank you."

Malcolm collapsed into the chair, all the emotions of the last twenty-four hours hit him like a ton of bricks. His hands started to shake and he put his head in them. Twenty-four hours ago he had been in bed with Dani asleep. How had it only been one day since then? It felt like a decade. Silent tears fell from his eyes. They carried with him everything he'd felt that day: Fear, Love, Worry, Rage.

Gil sat next to him and put his arm around him.

"Our girl pulled through," He said.

Malcolm huffed a relieved smile, looking up from his hands.

_My girl pulled through._


	15. Chapter 15

Gil tapped Malcolm on the shoulder and handed him a steaming Styrofoam cup, "Fair warning, it's about as good as the precinct's. Cream and sugar right?"

He nodded, half-awake. "What time is it?" he mumbled.

"One thirty."

_Only out for ten minutes. Good. _

"Any news?" Malcolm sat up, sipping his coffee.

Gil shook his head, "I guess at this point no news is good news right? She must be stabilizing, however slowly." Gil was watching his reactions, worrying about him, as well as his detective. "It's Dani. She's stronger than all of us. She'll fight through."

Malcolm stared into the contents of his cup. "She has to," he whispered, "I don't know what I'll do if I lose her."

Gil eyed him, half smiling, "About that..." Malcolm didn't move his head, but glanced up out of the corners of his eyes. Gil raised his eyebrows, a knowing father, waiting for his child's confession.

Malcolm couldn't help but grin in response, clearing his throat nervously. "Yeah, about that," he teased, taking another sip of his coffee and chuckling afterward.

Leaning back in the chair, Gil pressed for more information, but tried to act as casual as possible. "Is it serious?"

"It is for me," Malcolm admitted, looking up at him. "I think it might be for her too. At least I hope so."

The smile that lit up Gil's face was contagious, "That's great, kid. I'm happy for you. Dani could probably do better but," Gil winked and held up his cup in an appreciative "cheers" motion. Malcolm reciprocated laughing at his joke.

The two men sat in comfortable silence for a while, anxiously awaiting news about Dani. After fifteen minutes had passed, Gil got a text message. Malcolm glanced up at him and watched his entire demeanor change while he read it. When he finished, Gil put his phone back in his pocket and leaned forward in his chair, resting his elbows on his knees.

_What do you know?_ Malcolm started profiling his mentor. He knew Gil had something to tell him. There was tension in his shoulders; he was clenching and unclenching his jaw. There was definitely news, and judging by Gil's mannerisms, it wasn't good.

After a minute of deliberation, Gil finally let out a sigh and spoke, "Bright, I need to know what went down at the Marina."

Malcolm was sure to make full eye contact when he responded, "Gil, I told you."

"No," he leaned in closer, "you fed me a line of bullshit that didn't even answer my question."

"I knew Bennet would try and run with the cartridges. By car would take too much time and risk being spotted by any of the officers on patrol. The quickest and easiest route of escape would be by boat. So, that's where I went."

"Even if I did buy that as your ONLY motivation for going to the marina, which, by the way, I don't, you still haven't explained what happened when you got there."

Malcolm ran both of his hands through his hair in frustration, "The reports right there on your phone is it not? I'm assuming that's what you've been reading the majority of the time we've been waiting. Obviously whatever that text message just said changed something. So, what is it?"

"You're profiling me now?"

"Am I wrong?" Malcolm waited for Gil's objection. None came. "What did it say?"

Gil licked his lips and looked away for a second. When his eyes returned to Malcolm's they were full of worry and fear. "Bennet's dead, Bright."

Malcolm's eyes widened. Even though he'd expected to get that news at some point. It didn't change the force with which it hit him.

"He coded in the ambulance en route to the hospital. They tried to revive him. Pronounced on arrival."

Malcolm slowly turned his gaze from Gil to the carpet of the waiting room.

_Bennet's dead. I killed him._ An unnerving mixture of relief, guilt, and fear circulated through him, each emotion rotating, hitting him at a different time. It was incredibly strange to feel both guilt and pride about your actions simultaneously. Then the fear; the garnish on the bizarre cocktail of emotion. What consequences awaited him?

"And," Gil continued.

_There's always an 'and'._

"Luca's in surgery, but J.T. says it doesn't look good. They had already revived him twice in the bus. Docs aren't optimistic he will survive the procedure."

_Two lives. _

The gravity of his actions came to rest on his chest like a millstone. Malcolm closed his eyes and assessed his emotions the way Dr. Le Deux had taught him when he was a boy. He was surprised to find that, despite the guilt and the fear, he didn't exactly regret his actions. Malcolm had always been fiercely protective of the ones he loved. When it came to Dani, that instinct was heightened exponentially. Even though she didn't really need it, she was his to protect, to guard. And he had failed. The marina was justice, penance for what they'd done to Dani, the pain they'd caused her, for almost taking her from him forever.

Nevertheless, dread permeated his mind, the kind of dread that follows you like your shadow, lurks around every corner. There was no way he was getting out of this without repercussions. At least one man was dead because of him. There would inevitably be consequences for his actions.

"And Damian?" Malcolm asked quietly.

"No official word on Damian yet, but he was conscious in the ambulance. Other than blood loss, his injury was relatively minor, comparatively speaking."

Malcolm put his head in his hands. Best case scenario, he'd taken one man's life. He'd killed someone, potentially two people.

The Surgeon's voice echoed in his head, the smile practically audible, "_My boy." _

Malcolm shook his head, banishing the voice of his father from within him.

Gil's eyes were empathetic, concerned, but he continued to press him for information, "What happened at the Marina?"

Malcolm was torn. Part of him wanted nothing more than to bear his soul to his would-be-father. To confide everything: every thought, every emotion, every action. But the other part of him knew he couldn't, that at the end of the day Gil was a good, moral, lieutenant. Nothing Malcolm had done was moral. It may have been karma, justice, what they'd deserved even, but moral it was not. He had been driven purely by emotion, by everything he'd thought he had lost: Dani, his everything, any chance they had at a future together. If he told Gil the truth, his hands would be tied; he'd have to report it. And Malcolm would be the property of the State of New York by sunrise.

"You want me to beg, kid? 'Cause I'll beg. Talk to me, please."

Malcolm looked up at him, lovingly, at the man who had always been there for him and treated him like his own son. He opened his mouth to speak, and was yet again interrupted when Dani's doctor exited the swinging doors. He was smiling. That simple gesture washed all the other emotions away immediately and Malcolm felt as though he could fly.

"Good news!" the doctor said, grinning from ear to ear, "Detective Powell's vitals are holding steady. They still aren't within the normal range, but she's stopped fluctuating so intensely, which is a promising sign. They will move her to a room shortly. We are keeping her in the ICU; she still needs constant monitoring. The next twenty-four hours are crucial. But, we're cautiously optimistic and are shifting her condition from 'critical' to 'serious'. That means she can have one visitor at a time."

Malcolm knew he was smiling like a complete idiot. Quite frankly, he didn't care. He turned to Gil, silently begging to see her first.

"Obviously," Gil responded aloud, shooing him away.

The doctor motioned for the nurse at reception to join them, "Could you please escort him to room 113?"

"Of course. Right this way, sir."

Malcolm followed the nurse as she scanned them into the area. After a couple of turns they came to a small room with a glass exit wall. As soon as he saw her, Malcolm's eyes welled with tears; the nurse hadn't even opened the door yet. She held the door for him to enter and left as it closed.

Dani was connected to several tubes and IVs, each periodically making a different hum or beep. Malcolm slowly walked toward the bed, noting every vital readout he could. She was intubated, the ventilator's cadence keeping perfect time. Tears spilled out onto his cheeks, as he arrived at the side of the bed. Malcolm reached down and gingerly took Dani's hand, careful not to disrupt the IV. He intertwined their fingers, and gently squeezed.

"I'm sorry, Dani," he whispered, barely getting the sentence out before he completely broke down. His breaths were shaky and uneven as the quiet sobs took over. "I'm so sorry." Malcolm repeated the phrase multiple times through his tears, as though it could cleanse his misdeeds, right his wrongs. When the breakdown started to subside, he leaned in and kissed Dani on the forehead. Then he crossed the room and pulled the chair over to the edge of the bed.

Resting his elbows on his knees and his chin on his fists, Malcolm observed Dani. He watched her chest rise and fall, assisted by the ventilator. He recalled the moment that she had taken that agonizing last breath in his arms, when he thought he had lost her forever. Here she was, alive. She had fought through. That was a type of strength he had never witnessed before. Dani always managed to find new ways to amaze him.

Malcolm sat there for some time, keeping vigilant watch. He didn't remember leaning back in the chair, or dozing off, but the nurse's return jarred him awake.

"Excuse me. Your friend in the waiting room is asking for you."

Malcolm rubbed his eyes, "Oh. Thank you." He walked over to Dani and kissed her forehead once more before leaving.

Gil was pacing the small space where they had been sitting, his phone to his ear. He raised his head when he heard the doors open. "Yes, sir. I understand," he said, striding toward the profiler with purpose, his expression grim.

The dread that Malcolm had so quickly swept aside due to the good news about Dani, came rushing back with a vengeance.

"Outside," Gil ordered walking past him and to the doors exiting into the parking garage.

Malcolm followed, _Whatever this is, it's bad._

Gil walked halfway up the level of the parking garage, stopping at an empty compact spot in the corner. He turned, his hands on his hips, completely infuriated. "A silencer?!"

_Shit._ Malcolm lowered his gaze.

"No. Look at me," Gil demanded, his voice hard, furious. Slowly Malcolm raised his eyes to meet his mentor's. "You stole a police officer's silencer?! Which you then used at the marina to injure and/or kill three men. Two of those shootings, I'm now partially responsible for since you used," Gil jabbed himself in the chest with his hands, "MY GODDAMN GUN!"

_Fuck_. After everything that had occurred, the anguish when he'd thought Dani was gone, the blackout rage he'd experienced afterward, Malcolm had completely forgotten that the Glock he used was Gil's.

"Tell me you didn't." Gil stepped toward him, staring into his eyes less than a foot away.

He tried to maintain eye contact, but Gil's glare was unrelenting, "Tell you I didn't what?"

"Tell me you didn't go to the Marina with the intent to kill all three of them for what they did to Dani."

Malcolm swallowed the knot in his throat, opened his mouth multiple times, but never responded. He had absolutely no idea what to say.

Gil turned, threw his hands up in frustration, and yelled, "DAMN IT, BRIGHT!" When he faced Malcolm again his expression sent a chill through Malcolm. Gil was genuinely scared, to the point of desperation. "Do you have any idea what you've gotten yourself into? You used a silencer for Christ's sake, and a stolen one at that." Gil's hands were constantly up, gesturing in exasperation. "A silencer is instant 'intent to conceal my actions' to any Judge or Jury. It shows premeditation. Premeditation equals guilt, Bright!"

_Guilt, premeditation, jury. He's already talking trial._ Malcolm's head was spinning. He stood, staring unfocused at the wall behind Gil.

"You've got to give me something, kid. Anything that proves you didn't go to the marina as an executioner. Please. Because if you don't..."

Malcolm watched as Gil internally struggled with something dire. His profiler brain was in overdrive. The phone call in the waiting room, his expression, begging for any plausible deniability. Malcolm put the pieces together and exhaled, "You're arresting me, aren't you?"

Gil closed his eyes and turned his head to the side. Malcolm could see the utter turmoil this moment was causing him. When Gil looked back at him, tears were threatening to fall, "Please, tell me _anything_ that can prevent this. I'm begging you, kid."

Malcolm racked his brain for any response that might help him. There were none. He had, in fact, gone there with the intent to make those men pay for what they'd done. He looked up at Gil, apologetically, and shook his head slightly.

Gil nodded, closed the distance between them, and for the first time since Malcolm was a boy, he wrapped his arms around him in a hug.

Malcolm immediately returned the embrace. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

"Me too, kiddo," Gil replied.

When Gil stepped back, he took a deep breath, "Don't say another word," he advised. Malcolm understood. Gil reached into his coat pocket and fished out the handcuffs. After clearing his throat, he began, "Malcolm Bright, you're under arrest for the murder of Ezra Bennet, the attempted murder of Luca Morales, and the assault with a deadly weapon of Damian Mitchell." Malcolm lowered his head, his pulse racing, as he turned around. The cuffs were cold, rigid, unforgiving. Their clicks seemed to echo forever off of the cement around him.

"You have the right to remain silent," Gil walked Malcolm to his car as he completed the Miranda rights, opened the back passenger door, and guided him inside.

The door shut behind Malcolm with a finality that mirrored his own fate.


	16. Chapter 16

Gil's phone buzzed as soon as he got into the driver's seat. Before picking up, he turned the ignition, leaving the car in park. "Arroyo," he answered.

Malcolm recognized J.T.'s voice on the other end, although it was too muffled to make any sense of the words being spoken.

"Central? You've got to be kidding me. I'll call. Thanks, J.T.." Gil ended the call and immediately started another.

Central? Malcolm didn't know any "central" that would apply to his current situation.

"Hello, Sir. Thank you for taking my call at this hour. I'd just like to clarify where I'm taking Bright. One of my detectives informed me you ordered Central Booking? There has to be somewhere else we can- Yes. I understand that, but- Sir, with all due respect, Central is a half a mile away from Major Crimes. Bright works with us. Do you know how many people at central will likely recognize him from the precinct?" That's like putting a cop in Gen Pop. We can't just throw him to the wolves, like- Yes. Of course I do. I just-"

The voice on the other end got louder, more stern.

"No. Yes. Crystal, Sir." Gil ended the call and threw his phone into the passenger seat, smacking his palms on the steering wheel, "Asshole!"

"Thank you for trying, Gil," Malcolm's voice was defeated, sullen. He still hadn't completely processed the fact that he was sitting in the back of his would-be-father's car, under arrest - at least one of the allegations against him being murder. He certainly hadn't even begun to consider what jail he was headed to for booking, or what it might mean if someone there recognized him. Oddly enough, none of these things were what was at the forefront of his mind, even now. All Malcolm could think about was the possibility that Dani might wake up and he wouldn't be there with her.

Gil shifted gears and pulled out of the parking space. "I'll talk to the unis at Central. Make sure that they do everything they can to keep you separated as much as possible."

"Whatever has to be done to get me processed, bailed, and back here as soon as possible," he responded quietly. "I have to be here when she wakes up, Gil. She can't be alone."

"I know. I'll have J.T. keep watch until you're out."

"Thank you." Malcolm leaned his head against the window, and watched as they left Brooklyn, leaving his heart lying in a hospital bed behind him. 

* * *

Gil opened the door and helped Malcolm out, gesturing in the direction that he should walk. Once they were inside Central Booking, an officer Murphy greeted Gil. He led them to a metal table with a clear divider in the center. Gil removed Malcolm's cuffs and stood against the wall, allowing officer Murphy to begin the procedure.

"Please remove all personal items: watches, jewelry, belt, wallet, and electronic devices not including hearing aids."

Malcolm complied, placing his belt, watch, phone, and wallet on the table. The officer recuffed Malcolm's left hand, connecting the other end to the ring in the table, then collected his belongings and placed them in a bag. Murphy then grabbed a laptop and some papers and settled down on the other side of the divider. He skimmed the report and started typing the information into the computer. "Okay, 4:27am. You are Malcolm Bright, correct?"

Malcolm's reply was faint, "Yes."

"Formerly a criminal profiler for the FBI. Wow. Currently a case consultant for the NYPD?" The last sentence shifted into a question midway through.

"Yes."

"You're being charged with-," the officer looked up at Gil in shock. Malcolm's eyes fell to his free hand in his lap. "-murder, attempted murder, and assault with a deadly weapon. Mr. Bright do you understand the charges being brought against you?"

Each time Malcolm heard the allegations -truth be told, the list of sins he'd committed- the weight pressing down on his chest increased. He cleared his throat, "Yes."

After completing the rest of the paperwork, which consisted mostly of identifiable information and questions about scars and tattoos. Murphy took Malcolm over to the camera to take his picture.

Never in a thousand years had Malcolm ever thought he would have a mugshot. As he stood in the different positions, Gil watching from behind the camera, shame crept upon him. His mind boggled at the paradox of feeling shame for an action, but not necessarily regretting the action either. Try as he may to describe it, he couldn't put into words how it felt.

After the pictures, came the finger printing, DNA sample, and a full body search. The latter being far worse than anything Malcolm had expected. When he was finished, Murphy handed him back his stack of clothing. Malcolm was surprised, he had prepared himself for something more traffic-cone orange. "I keep my clothes?" he asked, taking them and redressing.

"Until we see if you're eligible for bail or not," he answered.

Malcolm looked up at officer Murphy confused, while buttoning his shirt, "If?" He had assumed he would be able to post bail as soon as the booking was finished. Even for a murder charge, if the suspect wasn't a flight risk, which he wouldn't have been even prior to Dani's condition, then there was a typically set bail amount. You paid it, if you could, and you left.

Murphy nodded, "According to your file online, your bail hearing is set for 1pm. The allegations against you are severe enough that they want you in front of a judge. Judges always reserve the right to deny bail if they see fit."

The weight on his chest pressed even harder. There was a chance he wasn't leaving at all. A decent chance, if he was being completely honest with himself.

Dani.

At the thought of her, the pressure against him became almost unbearable. What if this was it. What if he never again got to hold her, kiss her, wake up to her nestled into him. Malcolm struggled to take a breath, the early warning signs of another anxiety attack looming, as Murphy guided him out into the hall.

Gil was waiting outside the door. He saw Malcolm's face and knew something had happened. "What's going on?"

"My bail hearing is at one," Malcolm replied, winded. He tried to focus on steadying his breathing.

"Hearing?" Gil directed his next question to Murphy, "Why is there a hearing?"

"Apparently the higher ups flagged him for one, based on the charges."

Gil rolled his eyes, furious, and refocused on Malcolm. "They're covering their own asses, because of how many cases you've consulted on. This is insane. He's not a flight risk."

"It's not my call, Sir," Murphy replied, nudging Malcolm forward. "As far as keeping him away from the populace... I can put him in a psych watch cell until his hearing, if you want. That's the best I can do to keep him separated from general holding."

Gil looked to Malcolm for confirmation; he nodded in agreement. Murphy led him down the hallway to the right, to a solitary cell. Malcolm glanced up at Gil, who tried to comfort him, "I'll call Jessica, and get your lawyer up to speed. We'll be there at one. Hang in there, kid."

Malcolm didn't even nod in response. He simply turned and stepped into the cell, the solid metal door slamming shut behind him.

* * *

Malcolm entered the small courtroom, his hands cuffed in front of him. He'd only just met his attorney a few moments prior to entering. Jacob Stiver, had been hand picked by his mother, and approved by Gil, as one of the top defense attorneys in the city. His eyes searched the few available seats for the two of them. Jessica's hand went to her mouth at the sight of her son in handcuffs.

Malcolm remained standing at the table, as Jacob had told him to, and waited for the judge to address him.

"Case number 84602-4 The People of the State of New York v. Malcolm Bright. Mr. Bright you are being charged with Murder in the first degree, attempted murder in the first degree, and assault with a deadly weapon. You are not responding with a plea at this time. Do you understand the charges being brought against you, yes or no?"

Malcolm's mouth was a desert, "Yes, your honor."

"You have absolutely zero prior offenses, Mr. Bright, not even a parking ticket. That's quite a leap." The judge sat the paperwork down and looked at Malcolm, who didn't respond. "I have to be honest, it's been a long time since a list of charges like that have come across my bench. You're ex FBI, correct?"

"Yes, your honor."

"And you frequently consult with the Major Crimes division of the NYPD? You catch criminals for a living."

"I do, your honor."

Jacob interjected, "You honor if I may. My client understands the seriousness of the allegations against him. As you said, he has zero prior offenses. Additionally, there is no chance of him being a flight risk whatsoever. His close friend and colleague is in serious condition at New York Presbyterian in Brooklyn. The only place he intends to go upon being released is there to be with her."

"Is this true?" the judge glared at Malcolm over the rims of his glasses.

"Yes, Sir. Um, your honor."

The judge took a moment to ponder the dilemma before him, before clearing his throat. "Based on the severity of the allegations against you, Mr. Bright,"

Please no, Malcolm's stomach lurched.

"and in accordance with the standard rates per offense, bail is set at 1.55 million dollars."

A smile exploded across Malcolm's face. For a brief moment, the weight on his chest lifted. "Thank you, your honor!"

"Don't thank me. The charges against you are dire, Mr. Bright. I hope, for your sake, that you truly understand the gravity of this situation. You are hereby prohibited from leaving the state of New York for any reason. You are not permitted to possess any deadly weapon from now throughout the duration of your trial. And you are not permitted to step foot onto the premises of the Major Crimes division headquarters. Should you violate any of these mandates you will be immediately incarcerated until the completion of your trial. Do you understand these orders?"

"I do."

"Bail has been set. If you are able to pay it please see the clerk of courts after you exit this courtroom."

Malcolm followed Jacob out the door, still escorted by the officer that brought him there. Jessica and Gil immediately followed. He wasn't surprised to find that his mother already had the check filled out and handed it to the clerk as soon as they got to the desk. The officer uncuffed Malcolm and he signed the required paperwork.

Jacob shook Malcolm's hand, "We should plan to meet tomorrow to go over the details of the case. I'm guessing your plea hearing will be in a week or so. I'll be in touch with you later today."

"Thank you."

As Jacob left, Jessica took the opportunity to pull Malcolm into a hug. "Darling, how are you?" She held him at arm's length to inspect his condition.

"I'm fine, mother. Just ready to get back to the hospital."

Jessica looked surprised, "Right this instant? You must be exhausted. Why don't you stop by your apartment, get some rest, take a shower, eat something- I'm sure you haven't eaten nearly enough."

"I can do that later. Right now I just want to get back to Dani." Malcolm turned to look out the door of the courthouse.

"Oh. Is that so?" When he wasn't looking, Jessica gave Gil a quizzical look, which he answered by raising his eyebrows and smiling mischievously. "Then I'll have Adolpho pick us up."

Gil patted Malcolm on the shoulder, "I have to get back to the precinct. I'll call to check on Dani a little later."

Malcolm nodded, barely comprehending what he had said. His mind was preoccupied. The only thing he could focus on was getting back to Dani.

* * *

When they got to the hospital, Dani had been moved to a regular room. Malcolm anxiously bounced for the entirety of the elevator ride, while Jessica silently noted her son's behavior with amusement. J.T. was scrolling through his phone in the chair, when Malcolm stepped into the room.

"Hey," the detective said, jumping out of his seat. "How you doing?" At that moment, Jessica entered behind him and J.T. found a reason to excuse himself. "I'll run downstairs and grab a bite. We can catch up later," he hinted, exiting Dani's room.

Malcolm stood next to the bed, once again taking Dani's hand in his. Jessica took the few steps forward required to join him and watched the tenderness with which he held onto her.

After a few moments of quiet contemplation, Jessica finally spoke what she'd been holding in since they'd left the courthouse, "What happened Malcolm? Why on Earth would you…" She paused to adjust her tone. "Gil said Detective Powell was shot? That you were trying to make a trade for her life, and the man shot her anyway."

Malcolm nodded, never taking his eyes off of Dani. "She was covered in blood. I held her as she took, what I thought was, her last breath." He wiped a stray tear from his cheek. "I snapped."

"And you shot all three of them?" Jessica's voice was a chiding whisper. "Malcolm, you killed a man."

Malcolm gazed up at the ceiling, fighting back more tears, "I know. Believe me, I know." Then he turned and looked at his mother, his eyes filled with turmoil, and whispered, "I thought she was dead." Another single tear slid its way down Malcolm's cheek.

Jessica's scorn seemed to melt away. Suddenly her eyes were filled with joy and compassion, "You're in love with her."

Malcolm was caught off guard by his mother's astute observation, "What?"

"My darling child. You thought Dani was dead, and it provoked you to violence the likes of which you've never even hinted at before in all your life. Only one thing can drive you to that kind of madness - Love."

He looked back at Dani, surviving on tubes, and IV drips, each breath she took powered by a machine, "Yeah."

"I'm happy for you," Jessica smiled, lovingly caressing his arm. "Now we just have to get these charges straightened out and the two of you can live happily ever after."

Is that all? Malcolm thought.

"Listen, you've had an absolutely horrific thirty-six hours. Go home. Get some rest. Come back fresh in the morning. I'd be happy to drop you off on my way home."

"Thank you. But I'm not going anywhere."

Jessica thought about pushing the subject further, then took one look at her son, and knew hell itself couldn't keep him from her in this moment.

"I'll swing by your place and pick you out a change of clothes then. Adolpho can bring them to you a little later."

He nodded and again thanked her as she left.

Ten minutes later, J.T. returned from the cafeteria. Malcolm was lost in thought, still standing at Dani's bedside gently caressing her hand where he could.

"Hey," he said walking up to the side of the bed as well.

"Hi."

After a moment of slightly awkward silence, J.T. continued, "So, how are you?"

Malcolm genuinely thought about it for a moment. He wasn't sure that even now he could correctly identify the mixture of emotions that were consistently pouring through him. "I'm not really sure how to answer that." Then Malcolm remembered that he and Gil weren't the only ones dealing with fallout from the events of the past two days. "How much trouble are you in for letting me leave with the cartridges?"

J.T. chuckled, "No idea. Truth be told you're everyone's main focus right now. Well, you and Gil. They haven't exactly gotten to me yet."

A fresh wave of guilt washed over him, for the mess he'd gotten both of his teammates into.

"I'm sorry, J.T.. Truly I am."

The detective waved him off, "You don't need to apologize to me. I could have kept you in that parking garage. I made my decision. If there's consequences for that decision then they're on me, not you."

Malcolm thanked him with an affiliative smile.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Bright, did you go to that marina for the ammo, or to make them pay for Dani?"

The profiler slowly turned his head, trying to read his face, "Is this Detective Tarmel asking?"

"No. This is your friend J.T. asking - off the record."

Malcolm paused and again turned to look at Dani before he spoke, "We got the cartridges back, and that's great. But I knew we would, if none of them were still standing. J.T., I thought I'd watched her die in my arms. The rage that coursed through me… They deserved justice for what they'd done." Once he'd finished his confession, Malcolm anxiously awaited the detective's response. After a few minutes of complete silence, he started to worry.

Then, J.T. uncrossed his arms, and slowly extended his right one out toward Malcolm, to shake his hand.

At first Malcolm was confused. But as his teammate nodded in appreciation, he understood the gesture and shook J.T.'s hand.


	17. Chapter 17

After J.T. left, Malcolm spent the rest of the evening at Dani's bedside, falling in and out of uncomfortable sleep in the chair. In addition to the fading bruises on his face and the healing rib, his entire body was just exhausted. Though Malcolm was used to going long periods of time with little to no sleep, the physical and mental torment he'd endured in the last 48 hours had completely depleted him.

He looked at his watch- 6:43am- and rubbed his eyes. His phone vibrated in his pocket. Gil.

**Finally got in touch with Dani's mother, Michelle. **

**She was visiting her sister in Syracuse.**

**Driving home as we speak. Should be there in about 4.5 hrs. **

Malcolm's brain suddenly went into overdrive. In a few hours he was going to meet Dani's mother… for the first time… after her daughter almost died… and he was awaiting trial for murdering the man who nearly killed her.

_It's safe to say the possibility of making a good impression is out the window,_ he thought.

Then he realized something: he and Dani had been official for all of two days. Given everything that transpired in that time, there was no way Michelle knew about the two of them yet. Honestly, that did make things slightly less daunting. However, bouncing back from the murder-one allegation was going to be practically impossible. And there was still the matter of explaining his unyielding presence at her bedside. As he pondered the best way to approach that topic, his phone buzzed in his hand. Jacob Stiver, his lawyer, was on the other end, requesting an early morning meeting.

"Can you come here? The hospital I mean. I'm not leaving Dani."

"Absolutely. I'll be there within the hour."

Malcolm ended the call. Anxious to hear his attorney's strategy.

* * *

When Jacob arrived, he was all business; a lot of information had come to light since last they had spoken. He pulled another chair into Dani's room, and began, "Our entire defense is hinged on the statement you gave at the marina, that you were there to retrieve the ammunition and save officers' lives. We will focus on Bennet, Luca, and Damian's criminal history, specifically Bennet's and the cops he'd been executing. If we continually remind the court that Bennet intended to use those armor-piercing bullets to murder more NYPD officers, then that paints you as the hero. A bit of a vigilante, but still on the side of good."

Malcolm nodded. So far, beating the allegations actually seemed somewhat possible.

"That being said," Jacob began.

_And the bad news..._

He took a moment's pause before continuing, "The D.A. informed me this morning that they've obtained security camera footage from the marina."

Malcolm's mouth fell open with an audible pop. His pulse skyrocketed and for a moment, he forgot to take a breath.

_That's it. The final nail in the coffin._ Once again the onset symptoms of an anxiety attack reared their ugly head. _I'm going to prison._

"I should have a copy of the footage by the end of today. Obviously once I see it, we can adjust our strategy as needed."

Jacob noticed the change in Malcolm's demeanor and attempted to alleviate some of the pressure, "Listen, Malcolm. I am VERY good at my job. There's a reason your family is paying me what they are: I get results. You're a former agent in the FBI. You've helped the NYPD catch murders, rapists, and serial killers. The people you injured intended to use illegal armor-piercing ammunition to murder cops in cold blood. Look me in the eyes, Mr. Bright. Do I look worried?"

Malcolm glanced over at him and shook his head, "No."

"Then you shouldn't be either. You're not going to prison." He picked up his briefcase and shook Malcolm's hand, readying himself to leave.  
Admittedly, the anxiety attack had seemed to subside after Jacob's little halftime speech. But Malcolm suddenly thought of something else, "What about my job?" he asked. The attorney, who was halfway to the door, turned and tilted his head quizzically. "Consulting with Major Crimes, with the team. Is there any scenario now where I get to go back to that?"

"That, I can't guarantee. But I will certainly try."

He nodded, a cloud of dread slowly closing in around him.

* * *

Malcolm sat, his chin perched on the guardrail of Dani's bed, absent-mindedly tracing circles over her knuckles as he held her hand in his. Without even thinking about it, he started talking to her. "Your mother should be here in a little while. I wish I knew more about her. I've been working on my pitch 'Hello. I'm Malcolm Bright. I'm in love with your daughter.'" He brought his left hand up and used his thumb and index finger to massage his forehead. "'There's also a significant chance I'm headed to prison for the rest of my life. Lovely to meet you.'" A morbid laugh escaped him. "What do you think?" he asked, a genuine smile creeping across his face as he looked at her.

Without warning, Malcolm felt Dani's fingers tighten around his. He practically leapt from the chair, careful not to jerk her hand. "Dani?!" He gently squeezed her hand twice and waited, with bated breath. Again her fingers tightened, this time with more force. The back of Malcolm's throat started to sting, his eyes welling with tears. His face was the embodiment of pure joy, as he turned his focus from her hand to her face. Dani's eyes were shifting like crazy beneath their lids. "It's okay, Dani. Everything's okay."

Malcolm found the call button on the guard rail. A cheery nurse answered, "Can I help you?"

"Yes. I think she's waking up!"

"Wonderful! I'll send someone right away."

"Thank you."

Dani's eyes fluttered for a few moments, before completely opening, bouncing all over the place trying to take in her surroundings. Malcolm knew she had to be frightened. Waking up to intubation had to be shocking, terrifying even. He smiled at her, "Stay calm. There's a tube in your throat that's been helping you breathe. Everything's fine. I called the doctors. No sudden movements okay." Dani's eyes found his and every worry, every pain, every care he had in the world instantly melted away. "Hi, beautiful."

The doctor and nurses entered and Malcolm stepped back, watching as they checked Dani's vitals, and coached her through the extubation process. Everyone in the room stared apprehensively as she took her first few breaths without the ventilator. After a couple of minutes, the doctor sat her up and listened to her lungs as she breathed.

"Everything sounds good!" He said enthusiastically. "Looks like we're on the road to recovery. You're a very lucky woman, Detective Powell." He picked up a whiteboard that a nurse had brought into the room and handed it and the marker to Dani. "You're probably going to have one hell of a sore throat for a couple of days. Try to minimize the amount of talking you do in the next 48 hours."

The minute the doctor and nurses left, Malcolm was at her side. His hand immediately caressed her cheek and she brought hers up to hold it there. "Hey" she whispered.

"Hey." He couldn't contain himself and leaned over the railing to kiss her. She happily returned it, holding him there when they'd finished, their foreheads touching. Several minutes passed before either was willing to pull away. Malcolm offered Dani a cup of water to sip. She held up a finger and started writing on the board.

MY MOM WILL BE HERE SOON?

"You heard that?" Malcolm asked, surprised. Instantly his mind went to the rest of the words he'd spoken out loud to her. He checked his watch, "She should be here in a little over an hour."

Dani erased the phrase with her hand and went back to scribbling.

BENNET?

Malcolm's heart sank. He knew she was going to ask, but that didn't make it any easier to discuss. Best to just rip off the bandage. "Bennet's dead," he replied. Dani stared at her blanket for a moment, slowly nodding her head. Then she looked up at him.

YOU?

He nodded, keeping eye contact with her the entire time, refusing to allow her to think he regretted the actions he'd taken in her name. Dani had an impressive poker face; Malcolm had trouble reading her emotions.

HOW BAD IS IT?

He knew what she was referring to. As much as he didn't want to worry her in her current condition, Malcolm told himself he would never lie to her. "Right now… Murder One. Attempted Murder One, and Assault with a deadly weapon."

Her eyes widened, worry behind them.

LUCA AND DAMIAN THE OTHER TWO?

"Yeah," he replied.

ARE YOU HURT?

He shook his head, "Just the injuries you already knew about." Malcolm took the opportunity to inform her of her own injuries, and the procedures that had been performed to save her. Afterward, Dani was quiet for a while. Malcolm stood next to her, but didn't force any conversation. He knew it was a lot of information to process. Once again she lifted the whiteboard to write.

THANK YOU.

Malcolm smiled and again held her cheek, "I'm just glad you're back."

Dani smiled up at him and cleared her throat, "I love you too. You know that right?"

The warmth that spread throughout Malcolm was absolutely euphoric. He was certain his smile would rip his cheeks. "I was hoping you did."

"Sorry it took so long to reply," Dani coughed a bit and he made sure she sipped more water, kissing her forehead in the process.

* * *

Malcolm stepped out into the waiting room to get a cup of vending-machine coffee and call Gil to tell him Dani had woken up. When he returned he handed Dani back the whiteboard, "Does your mother still go by Powell?"

Dani nodded, raising her eyebrows curiously.

"So, what exactly does she know, in terms of us?"

She grinned and wrote.

MORE THAN YOU THINK.

He almost spit his lukewarm coffee across the room, "What?"

Dani silently laughed.

SHE KNOWS ABOUT BENNET'S OFFICE.

"Are you serious?!" Malcolm choked and started coughing, mortified.

Again Dani was cracking up, without a single sound leaving her mouth.

SHE KNOWS WE KISSED AND 'THINGS GOT HEATED'. NOT ALL THE DETAILS.

Malcolm exhaled a sigh of relief, "That wasn't funny."

IT WAS A LITTLE FUNNY.

He rolled his eyes.

SHE KNOWS THAT I THOUGHT I WAS FALLING FOR YOU. THAT'S THE LAST TIME WE SPOKE.

Malcolm grinned, his heart warming at the thought of Dani telling her mother she had feelings for him. While he pictured that moment, Dani's mother tapped on the door and entered quietly.

Malcolm stood, moving out of the way for her.

"Oh, she's awake!" Michelle rushed to her daughter and hugged her. She brushed the frenzied curls out of Dani's face and looked her over, as a worried mother would. "My sweet baby girl."

"Hi, momma," Dani whispered.

"Shh. Shh. Don't you worry about talking," Michelle turned and saw Malcolm. Her eyes inspected him up and down, but he got the feeling it was more about his suit than her judgement. His suspicions were confirmed when she turned to Dani and whispered, all too loudly, "Tom Ford AND Valentino, I love this man already."

He blushed and smiled, extending his hand to her, "Pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Powell. I'm Malcolm Bright."

"Michelle. And the pleasure is all mine. Dani, you did not tell me his eyes were so heavenly." Again Malcolm blushed. Dani was clearly reveling in the moment.

The next few hours went by pleasantly. Michelle told cute and embarrassing stories about Dani, while she was silently defenseless to stop her. Occasionally Dani would whisper a few funny comments here and there, or furiously scribble her justification for a childhood daredevil action. It was easy. It was, dare Malcolm think it, fun. After a while Dani started to drift off, her body exhausted after all the trauma it had endured. Michelle and Malcolm continued talking in hushed whispers on the opposite side of the room.

"She's told me a lot about you, you know," Michelle said, taking a sip of her coffee.

Malcolm smirked, "Is that so?"

"She's clearly smitten with you."

"The feeling is definitely mutual," he replied.

"Yes, well that's obvious also," Michelle smiled, then glanced over at her daughter, checking that she truly was asleep. "I spoke to Gil earlier today. I know the situation you're in right now. That's… arduous."

Malcolm looked away from her in contrition.

"Before this Bennet shot her. Those men, they hurt her?"

He looked back up at Michelle, "yes."

"You were there when she was shot? When everyone thought she…" Michelle choked up, unable to say the word.

Malcolm nodded.

Her eyes hardened, "And then you went after them, risking life in prison, for my daughter?"

He cleared his throat, "I know it was a stupid thing to-"

Michelle held up her hand to stop his apology, "Thank you." She reached out and took Malcolm's hand, patting the top of it. "Ever since my husband passed, I've been waiting for my Danielle to find a man that would protect her, defend her, love her, as unconditionally as her father did. I'm so glad she finally found you."

The two smiled at each other and Michelle continued, "Now sweetie don't take this the wrong way, but you look like hell."

Malcolm couldn't suppress his laugh.

"I know there's no way you've slept more than a few minutes at a time in these past two days. Go home, honey. Get some sleep. Come back rested. I'll keep watch over my baby girl tonight."

As much as he wanted to fight it, Malcolm's body was begging him to agree. It was already late afternoon. By the time he got home, showered, and slept, it would be time to come back in the morning. As he stood to go Michelle hugged him, a pleasant surprise, and he promised to return bright and early tomorrow, breakfast in hand. He kissed Dani's forehead, before heading home for some much-needed sleep.

* * *

Malcolm exited his bathroom, clean and as refreshed as he was going to be until he got some legitimate sleep. His phone buzzed, a missed call from Jacob. Not bothering to check the voicemail, he immediately called him back.

"Malcolm, hey. So, I have copies of the security footage the prosecution intends to use. The good news is that both of the confrontations on the boat are obscured by the awning on the deck. You can see feet occasionally, but there's no sound. For either of those charges, the footage is useless."

"That is good news. That makes the murder one charge harder to prove."

"Exactly. Unfortunately, the footage of the first shooting is very clear. I contacted Damian Mitchell and his representation and put out some feelers to see if he would be willing to offer us some favorable testimony in exchange for a softer sentence."

"That seems unlikely," Malcolm predicted.

Jacob huffed, "Yeah. His exact words 'I ain't doing shit to help him.'"

"Not shocked."

"Anyway. Some very good news for the murder one and attempted murder charges. Not that the lack of video completely negates them, but it helps us not to have that documented on video. Now we just need to focus on a strategy for the assault charge, which is much more manageable. I'll be in touch very soon."

"Thank you."

Malcolm laid his phone down on the side table, and stared at his bed. The covers were still a mess from the festivities he and Dani had enjoyed that morning, before she was kidnapped. He smirked at the memory of Dani's playful giggles and the way they quickly shifted into sounds that could completely undo him in seconds. After a moment's nostalgia, he fell into the bed and a well-deserved dreamless sleep.

* * *

By 5:30 the next morning, Malcolm was dressed and bounding down the stairs of his building to the exit door. The world outside his apartment was still dark, but the sunrise teased a lighter blue to the east. He knew the perfect place to pick up some amazing coffee and baked goods for Dani and Michelle's breakfast. The full night's sleep had completely rejuvenated him. He absolutely couldn't wait to see Dani.

Malcolm was less than a block from his building when two men jumped out from a tiny alleyway and attacked him. One of them grabbed at his arms, but Malcolm jerked them out of his grasp. The second man was consistently throwing punches in his direction. A few connected with his torso, thankfully on the opposite side of his broken rib. One connected with his face, whipping his head to the side. Again the man behind him was pulling at his arms, at his jacket. Malcolm landed a punch of his own, knocking the man in front of him back a step and giving him a second to breathe.

Sirens wailed close by. While Malcolm was incredibly grateful, he was astonished how swiftly someone had called. They couldn't have been attacking him for more than sixty seconds, how were there already officers coming?

The man who had been trying to hold his arms fled back down the alley. The one who'd been hitting him turned to look over his shoulder, as though he was gaging how much time he had. Then he rushed Malcolm, shoving him up against the brick building. He threw a few more haphazard punches in his direction and continually shoved him into the wall any time Malcolm tried to get away.

_He's trying to keep me here,_ Malcolm thought. Before he could extrapolate any further, the police arrived at the scene. His attacker smiled at him and landed one final punch, connecting only a few inches below Malcolm's broken rib. He immediately doubled over in pain, struggling to breathe.

"On the ground, now!" The officers yelled. One of them had his weapon drawn. "Hands behind your head."

Malcolm gingerly complied, pain radiating throughout the left side of his torso. The cops split their responsibilities, one of them coming over to him. "Sir, stand up slowly please."

"Don't worry," Malcolm responded, gradually getting to his feet.

"Please lean against the wall, arms and legs apart. Do you have any drugs or weapons on you at this time sir?"

"No," he replied, as the officer started frisking him.

"You sure about that?" he reiterated, as he checked Malcolm's jacket pockets, pulling something out, "because this looks a lot like a switchblade to me."

"What?" Malcolm looked down at the cop's hand in shock. Sure enough, there had been a knife in his pocket. It all made sense now: the seemingly random attack, the unheard of response time to the attack.

_They called before they attacked me. They planted the knife. It was all a set up. _

Malcolm glared over at his attacker, who was clearly very proud of himself.

"That's not my knife." As soon as Malcolm said it he realized he sounded exactly like one of the suspects busted on an episode of COPS.

"Sure it isn't," the officer replied. Malcolm attempted to explain that he thought it had been planted. But it was no use. As soon as the cops ran their names, Malcolm knew what was coming.

"Turns out you're under a court order NOT to possess any deadly weapons, Mr. Bright. What with your impending trial for first degree murder and all."

_Goddamn it. _

"And your friend here has multiple warrants as well."

Both of them were placed under arrest. Once the additional car arrived, Malcolm was guided into the back seat, and again found himself headed to jail.

_This can't be happening_, he thought, picturing Dani and her mother wondering where he was. Picturing himself, in prison for the remainder of his trial and possibly beyond.

"May I ask which jail we're headed to?" Malcolm asked.

After glancing at his partner for approval, the cop in the passenger seat looked back at him. "You're headed to The Tombs, Mr. Bright."

Malcolm sighed and slowly blinked, "Manhattan Detention Complex."

_Of. Fucking. Course. _

"Been there before, huh?" the driver chuckled.

"Something like that," Malcolm replied, staring out the window.

He knew the complex well. Of the two buildings that comprised the facility, the south tower was dubbed "The Tombs", a nickname that followed from the original building over a hundred years ago. Together both towers of the complex housed almost 900 male inmates awaiting trial. Malcolm could tell the officers the layout of the lobby, what color the interior of the elevators were, exactly what the visitation room smelled like. At least twenty years ago he could.

He was headed to the same jail that housed Dr. Martin Whitly while he awaited his trial.

* * *

After going through the entire booking process for the second time in twenty-six hours, and making his one phone call to Gil, Malcolm stood staring at the bed in his cell. Then he looked down at himself: canvas shoes, tan shirt, tan pants. He'd expected orange, not that it helped any or made much difference. The cells were singles at least. That would probably be a major asset to him once word got out that he was an ex fed who worked with the NYPD.

A guard who had identified himself as Jones stood waiting outside the door, "Chow. Let's go."

Malcolm followed Jones, mentally preparing himself for what was to come.

_Confidence. You can't show fear. Profile everyone. Figure out who the major players are. Information is power, listen to everyone. _

As soon as the door to the cafeteria opened, every eye in the room turned to him. Jones led Malcolm to the back of the chow line and told him to follow the masses once breakfast was over. Malcolm was sure to make eye contact with anyone he passed, but was grateful that there was an unoccupied table in the back of the hall.

Before he could even open his milk carton, two men walked over and sat themselves down in front of him. Both had dark bronze colored skin. One was tall, at least 6'2", and heavy, but clearly strong beneath the excess weight. The other was smaller. Bigger than he was, 5'11" maybe, and lean but muscular.

Malcolm silently stared back and forth at both of them, then opened his milk, and started eating his oatmeal.

After a few more minutes of silence, in which both men were clearly attempting to size Malcolm up, the leaner of the two finally spoke, "How you doing… cop?"

_That didn't take long._

"I'm not a cop," Malcolm replied, continuing to eat his food, seemingly unfazed.

The man laughed, "Believe me, we know exactly what and who you are, Malcolm Bright. We know what you did too. You have any idea how many boys in this room, in this whole damn building, worked for Mr. Bennet?"

Malcolm had assumed his association with the police and federal government would be what came back to bite him. He stupidly hadn't considered members of the Niners ready to avenge the loss of their leader. Despite his inner panic, Malcolm kept his expression placid, and took a drink of his milk.

The man smirked, "Much like that milk you're drinking, _you_ have an expiration date, little man." The two of them got up and walked back to their original table.

Malcolm made it through the rest of chow without incident. Even getting back to his cell was uneventful. An hour or so later they went out for yard time. Malcolm walked the perimeter of the fence, simultaneously trying to hear as much as he could, but interact with as few people as possible. He needed more information before he chose who to get into bed with, socially speaking. He didn't learn much, but at this point the biggest thing was putting faces to names he'd overheard. The one thing that unnerved him the most was the fact that almost everyone he passed, turned to someone else to discuss how he was the one who killed Ezra Bennet. That kind of notoriety wasn't helpful.

While in line, heading back to their cells from yard, Malcolm heard his name whispered multiple times behind him. The hairs on the back of his neck raised, biology alerting him of danger. As they reentered the building a man bumped into him and stepped in front of him in line. Malcolm ignored it and didn't speak.

A moment later the man turned and closed the distance between them quickly, "Damian says hi."

Malcolm inhaled and hunched slightly forward, as the man left the line and disappeared in all the commotion. His hand immediately clutched his abdomen. The pain that surged through it was blinding, and familiar. He stumbled backward three steps until he hit the wall and slid down it. Malcolm deliberately smacked his head back against the cinder block in both anger and agony. Then he looked down at the left side of his torso, as crimson spilled out through his fingers.


	18. Chapter 18

Malcolm's attacker disappeared into the chaos around him. A choir of jeers and insults rang out as he tried to put pressure on his wound.

"That's what you get, cop!"

"Justice for Bennet."

"Nah. It ain't justice unless he dies."

One voice bellowed out above all the others, "Rooms now! Lockdown!"

The synchronized movement of bodies was instantaneous, the inmates knowing exactly what would happen if they failed to comply immediately.

One of the guards pushed against the sea of people toward Malcolm. He picked something up off of the ground as he spoke, "Can you walk? The infirmary is right down the hall."

Malcolm nodded. The guard helped him to his feet, supporting most of his weight, as they hobbled. A trail of red dots, dripping from between Malcolm's fingers, followed behind them on the floor. As soon as he scanned them into the infirmary, the guard yelled, "Campbell, we got a stab wound!"

The doctor flew out of his office as the guard led Malcolm over to a small room with a bed.

Even through the pain, Malcolm noticed that the two men's actions were performed with a practiced accuracy, the muscle memory of a dance they'd done so many times, they didn't even have to think about it. Dr. Campbell, who had to be close to Malcolm's own age, immediately cut his shirt off, as the guard put on gloves of his own and grabbed gauze.

"How deep, Barnes?" the doctor asked, while he started to clean the wound. Malcolm hissed, the liquid on the cotton roll burning as it disinfected.

The guard, Barnes, pulled the shiv out of his back pocket and showed the doctor.

Malcolm turned his head, _About three inches._ _Long enough to hit vital organs, if positioning is right. _

Dr. Campbell started stacking gauze on the wound, "You need to call for transport then, he's going to need a CT scan ASAP."

Barnes removed his gloves and left the small room for the phone in the doctor's office.

"What's your name?" Dr. Campbell asked, continuing to add gauze to the stack as blood seeped through each layer.

"Malcolm Bright."

"Tell me how you're feeling right now, Malcolm- besides the acute pain in your abdomen. Headache? Nausea? Dizziness? Lightheaded?"

"Um. I guess a little lightheaded. No, headache. I don't know, both maybe?"

"Okay." Malcolm watched the doctor's reaction, but he was well versed at keeping his body language in check. He busied himself with the gauze, trying to stop the bleeding.

Barnes returned from the office, "Bus is on its way. Three minutes."

"Good. How's the head Malcolm?"

Malcolm mumbled, "I feel like I'm floating." The sensation was making him nauseous.

"That's pretty normal given how much blood you've lost. Keep your head down on the bed, okay. That way if you pass out we don't add head injury to the list of issues."

Malcolm appreciated Dr. Campbell's upfront mentality. He turned his head to thank him. That simple movement caused a sea of bright flashes to breakout across his field of vision. Then, before he could vocalize what was happening, everything blurred out of existence.

* * *

After eight stitches and a scare about possible internal bleeding, Malcolm spent the rest of the day and night in Beth Israel hospital. During most of that time, he slept, but even when he was awake he was in a daze. When they released him back into the care of the Tombs' infirmary, he still barely had his wits about him enough to walk from the wheelchair to the bed. Something told him that inmates got expedited out of the hospital faster than the typical patient. He didn't think long about it, as his body was begging for rest.

Malcolm was awoken by the sounds of lunch being served. Of the six available beds in the open area of the infirmary, only two were occupied: his and the one diagonal from him. The man in the other bed was considerably older than he was. His salt and pepper hair was shaggy and straight. Malcolm attempted to sit up, and immediately regretted the decision. Any use of the muscles in his abdomen was instant misery. He reached for the button on the bed to raise himself up, only to realize that his left wrist was cuffed to the rail, as was his right ankle.

"We might be sick, but we're still criminals," the man across from him said, digging in as soon as the guard rolled the tray of food across his bed.

"Keep complaining, Hank. You got it made in here," the guard replied.

Malcolm didn't respond, he simply used his one free hand to pick up the piece of toast on his tray and devour it. The guard that brought their food left and Malcolm scanned the area. Dr. Campbell was in his office, which had a large window facing the area where their beds were.

Hank didn't try to hide the fact that he was watching Malcolm. For a while the profiler tried to ignore it, but eventually it got annoying.

"Yes?" Malcolm asked, staring back at him.

"You're the cop that killed Ezra Bennet aren't you?"

Malcolm rolled his eyes, "I'm not a cop."

"But you did kill Bennet. Seeing as how you only denied the one accusation," Hank smiled and took another bite of his food.

Despite his physical condition, Malcolm refused to be intimidated, "And if I did?"

"Young man, do you have any idea about the never-ending parade of trouble that's coming for you? People have been whispering about you in here for days now."

"Days? I just got here yesterday."

Hank eyed him, knowingly, "I said what I said."

_So it was set up from the inside._

"Half the men in this tower have connections to Ezra Bennet and the Niners. Hell, half the guards. There's nowhere safe for you to go. Every hour you're still breathing in here, is a gift from God himself."

Malcolm sat the spork down on his plate, his appetite suddenly vanishing.

_Wonderful_.

* * *

The rest of the day was relatively uneventful. Dr. Campbell would come to check on him every few hours. He examined and redressed his wound after dinner, claiming it looked exactly as it should at this point. Malcolm even got a book to read. A 500 page biography of Benjamin Franklin wouldn't have been his first choice, but at least it was something to pass the time.

The next morning, as Malcolm and Hank were being served their breakfast, the infirmary doors flew open, numerous inmates and guards pouring in. They had head wounds indicative of a fight: busted lips, bruised cheeks, split eyebrows. Dr. Campbell counted the number of new visitors, as did Malcolm.

_Six_.

Hank had done the same. "Bad news for you. We're about to get evicted," he said looking over at him.

He was right. It was incredibly convenient that exactly six guys decided to have a brawl this morning.

Malcolm looked at the infirmary door, S_omeone wants me back out there. _

At that moment Dr. Campbell came into the open area with a guard, "Take these two out to the chow hall to finish their breakfast. Malcolm, especially, needs to be in here still. Let me sort these head wounds out and then we can bring him back in after chow."

The guard uncuffed Malcolm's arm and ankle and picked up his food tray, "Let's go."

Malcolm slowly turned and brought his legs over the side of the bed. He was far more sore than he expected to be. Wincing every time he moved his left side, he made his way to the door. Before they exited the infirmary, Malcolm made sure to straighten up completely, and eliminate his pained expression.

_No weakness._

None of the other inmates were in the hall yet, so Malcolm chose the table closest to the infirmary door. He ate as much as he could before anyone else showed up, knowing his focus would need to be on those around him. When people started filing into the hall, the whispers quickly spread. Watching each head turn to the man behind him, was like watching a crowd do 'the wave'.

One by one, the inmates exited the chow line. It wasn't difficult to tell which were affiliated with Bennet. They were the ones that were either staring daggers into him or smiling in a way that sent chills down his spine.

_There is definitely something at play here._ Malcolm racked his brain, trying desperately to put the pieces together before he found out the hard way, again.

The same two men that approached him when he first arrived two days ago leisurely sauntered up the aisle with their trays. They pretended to deliberate where to sit, before taking the seats across from Malcolm once again. The three of them stared at one another in silence. Then, two other men joined them, sitting on either side of Malcolm. He finished chewing the bite he had taken and swallowed. Waiting.

The man across from him, the one who had spoken to him before, grinned. "How we feeling today? Little sore? How many stitches did you end up with?"

Malcolm glared at him, refusing to indulge the banter.

"Probably moving pretty slow right now huh? Not the best time to have to make any sudden movements."

Both the men next to him were anxious, itching to move, but clearly waiting for the command.

If there was one of them, maybe two, Malcolm could defend himself. He _had_ been trained by the federal government in hand to hand combat. Technically, he knew exactly what to do. But four... Even before getting stabbed, the odds of him getting out of that were slim to none. Now, there was no chance in hell.

Malcolm laid the plastic utensil down on his tray, scooted it to the middle of the table, and rested his hands in front of him. He tried to mentally prepare himself. Who would likely attack first? How could he counter? But after a few seconds, his thoughts went to Dani instead, as they always did.

On his phone call to Gil, he'd asked him to tell Dani he was sorry, and he loved her. At the time he chuckled, picturing Gil actually delivering that message uncomfortably. He'd wondered if she was mad at him, hurt that he was already gone again as soon as she had awoken. Now as he sat, his muscles tense like tightly coiled springs, awaiting the inevitable, he wanted nothing more than to be able to say he loved her one more time.

The rest of the men at the table finished their meals, the tension in the room palpable. Every inmate around them was openly staring, eager to see the spectacle that was about to unfold before them.

Finally, Malcolm couldn't take it any longer, "As much as I love a well executed dramatic pause," he shifted his eyes to the man across from him, "are we doing this or not?"

The man huffed a quiet laugh, "Oh, we're doing this," and pushed his tray away from him. The men next to him laid their utensils down also.

Malcolm took a deep breath, and sat up straighter in his seat.

"BRIGHT!"

Every head at the table turned in unison toward the hall door.

"Where's Bright?" The guard yelled again. Malcolm stood slowly, still wary of the men next to him. "Lawyer's here. Let's go!"

A smile crept across one half of his face, as he stepped back from his seat and tenderly walked up the aisle. He refused to look back, although he would have loved to see the expression on their faces as he exited through the door.

A few turns later, the guard scanned Malcolm into a small room. Jacob and Gil were talking by the table when he entered.

"How you doing, kid?" Gil greeted. His demeanor shifted as he watched Malcolm gingerly seat himself in a chair at the table. "What happened?"

Malcolm looked up at his mentor through his eyebrows, "You don't know?"

Jacob laid the file he was holding down on the table, "I wasn't notified of anything. What happened?"

"Oh, you know, just your run-of-the-mil prison shanking. It's so cliche it's almost embarrassing honestly."

"What?!" Both men exclaimed simultaneously.

"Yeah," Malcolm lifted the hem of his shirt up, showcasing the freshly stitched wound. "I was worried my connections to the FBI or the NYPD would be what got me. Turns out over half the men in this place have connections to Bennet, and are more than a little pissed I shot him."

It was hard to tell who was more angry. Jacob was pacing back and forth, livid that no one from the facility had communicated the incident to any of Malcolm's emergency contacts. He was already threatening three different lawsuits. Gil, on the other hand, was standing completely still, with the exception of his head, which he was constantly shaking back and forth as he slowly blinked rage.

"Seriously, no one contacted any of you guys?"

"Does it look like we knew about this, Bright?" Gil half yelled. "How are you feeling?" he asked after calming himself back down.

"To be honest, I've been better," Malcolm paused, horrific images of blood, and limp bodies flashing before his eyes, "but I've been far worse."

Jacob sat a bag down on the table in front of Malcolm, "Well let's hope for better. Get dressed. It's time for your plea hearing."

Malcolm stood and began changing his clothes as Jacob filled him in on new developments. "So, I've been talking with the DA. With the lack of video evidence, your law enforcement affiliations, and your non existent priors, he agreed to reduce the Luca charge down to simple assault, no deadly weapon. That can be easily furloughed into community service and not jail time."

"Is he still critical?" Malcolm asked. He'd assumed since there wasn't a second murder charge added that Luca had survived thus far.

"Not anymore," Gil replied.

Jacob continued, "I'm working on getting the Bennet charge down to second-degree manslaughter. If we can get that, then we can claim self defense and have a decent shot at that allegation ending with no time served either, given the nature of Bennet's intended crimes."

"You're kidding?" Malcolm couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"I told you Malcolm, I'm very good at my job," Jacob replied. "The Damian charge is the only one with any video evidence, and I'll be honest with you, it's pretty incriminating. The DA isn't budging on that one; he doesn't need to. He's sticking firm with the assault with a deadly weapon. But, they did agree to push the judge for six months or less time served, if you plea. Probation afterward of course."

Malcolm had finished buttoning and tucking in his shirt, and picked up his tie. "And my job?" he asked tentatively. Gil's eyes immediately shifted downward. Malcolm's heart fell with them.

Jacob spoke the truth Malcolm already knew, but had been attempting to deny, "Once you plead guilty to the charge, your relationship with the NYPD is effectively over."

"Oh," was all he could come up with in response. He was trapped. There was no way out of this that didn't involve a catastrophic loss for him. Either he goes to prison and loses everything and everyone, or he escapes jail time, but loses his work and his team- his surrogate family.

No one spoke as Malcolm tied his shoes and adjusted his jacket. When he finished, Jacob simply raised his eyebrows, silently asking if he was ready to go. He nodded in response. The guard came back into the room and recuffed Malcolm and the four men left for the courthouse.

* * *

Gil and Jacob entered the courtroom before Malcolm, who had to stay in a locked room with the guard until they were ready for him. He sat there, pensive, contemplating the fact that he was about to plead guilty to a charge that would change his life forever. Truthfully, his life had already changed. Regardless of the pleas, the charges, or the potential time in prison, the fact was, Malcolm had killed someone. He did something that, in light of his parentage, he'd spent his entire life adamantly denying he was capable of.

Yet here he sat, in cuffs,

_just like your father_

about to plead to his crimes,

_just like your father _

and potentially go to prison.

_Even The Surgeon didn't do that._

The past ten days had been such a whirlwind. How had so much happened in such a short period of time? Just ten days ago he was begging Gil to let him replace JT and go under. Ten days ago he and Dani shared what was a semi-faux first kiss on Bennet's dance floor that led to so much more in his office. In the nine days that followed, Malcolm had experienced both the greatest moments of his life, and the absolute worst. All of them revolving around Dani Powell. Honestly, as long as he got out of this with her still willing to stand by his side, nothing else mattered.

The door beeped and unlocked as a clerk stuck her head in, "They're ready for you."

Malcolm was escorted into the courtroom through the same side door he'd entered for his bail hearing. His mother was again seated with Gil. It was obvious that he had informed her of Malcolm's injury, her face was covered with worry.

Once everyone was seated, the judge read over a few papers, and began, "Okay. apparently we have some last minute changes to some official statements related to this case. Counselors please approach." Both the attorneys took a stack of papers from the judge, who spoke to them quietly. Malcolm anxiously awaited the information given to Jacob.

Once the attorneys were back at their tables, the Judge continued, "As stated on page four of the paperwork both counselors now have in their possession," Jacob quickly flipped to the page, as Malcolm leaned over, straining to read it as well. "Damian Mitchell has amended his original statement. He has admitted to continuously threatening Mr. Bright during their altercation. He claims he repeatedly told Mr. Bright that if he did not shoot him in that moment, then he would and I quote 'regret it before the night was over'."

Malcolm looked up at Jacob shocked and confused. None of this was true. His attorney's expression mirrored his own. The DA was frantically flipping through the rest of the paperwork, equally as baffled by Damian's actions.

Jacob saw an opportunity and jumped at it, "Your honor in light of this adjustment, may I request a short recess to confer with the prosecuting counsel, before we proceed?"

The judge nodded, "A ten minute recess is granted."

Jacob turned to Malcolm, his eyes wide and excited, "I think we can bargain down to a deferred sentence."

"Really?" The resurgence of hope that Malcolm had completely given up on was intoxicating.

"You good with that? I think that's the best we could ever hope for."

"Absolutely!"

Jacob, Malcolm, and the district attorney were all escorted back into the locked room Malcolm had been held in. The DA was clearly stunned.

Jacob wasted no time, "Okay, Cyrus. That new statement kills the assault with a deadly weapon charge. We claim self defense on that and the Bennet charge, and no jury's taking the known violent offender and cop killer's side over the guy who catches serial killers for a living." The DA was rattled, his entire case was falling apart around him. "We want a deferred sentence for all three _simple_ assault charges. Malcolm gets six months probation. Once he completes probation, charges, guilty plea, and sentence are completely thrown out- wiped from his record. Never existed."

Malcolm held his breath, anxiously waiting for the attorney's answer.

Cyrus rubbed his forehead, everything had happened so fast there was no time for him to recover. He threw his hands up in frustration, "Fine."

Malcolm exhaled in a stunned huff.

The DA grabbed his paperwork and stormed out of the room.

Jacob turned to Malcolm, who was still staring in shock, and smiled, "If you complete all the stipulations of the probation to the letter, your sentence, your plea, everything will get cleared from your record. Once your record is cleared... you can return as a consultant with the NYPD."

Malcolm's head whipped around toward Jacob, "What did you say?"

"You heard me."

"Holy shit," Malcolm rested his head in his cuffed hands.

Jacob beamed, "Yeah." The attorney extended his hand to Malcolm, "Congratulations." Malcolm shook his hand. As he did, the smile slowly evaporated from his face. Noticing the change, Jacob questioned him, "What could possibly be wrong in this moment?"

Malcolm's eyebrows were furrowed in deep thought, "Damian has no reason to help me. He hates me, wants to see me suffer. He literally had someone stab me in jail not two days ago. Why would he change his story? Moreover, why would he lie to help set me free? None of this makes sense."

Jacob pondered Malcolm's questions for a moment, "You know what, you're right. It doesn't make sense. But right now, that doesn't matter. If the judge agrees to this deal, you're about to walk out of this courtroom and go home."

While his nagging suspicions weren't going anywhere, Malcolm had to admit, that was certainly a moment worth celebrating.

* * *

Malcolm opened his apartment door stepping aside for Dani to walk in before him. They'd just returned from their daily walk. When she was released a month ago, their walks started as trips around Malcolm's apartment, figure eights around the couch and the kitchen island. Eventually she'd graduated to outside walks, albeit short ones. Now they walked at least a mile each day, most of the time more. It was no surprise to Malcolm that Dani's recovery was going so well. She was determined to get back to work as quickly as possible.

One Joke, the second day after she came home. That was all it took. Dani had complained about not wanting to do her laps around the apartment and Malcolm couldn't help but tease her.

"Okay, no laps. I told Gil I'd beat you back to work anyway."

"I know what you're doing," she replied. Malcolm grinned and walked into the kitchen. A second later Dani sighed and threw the covers off, slowly raising herself up. Malcolm rushed over to help her. "I hate that I know exactly what you're doing and it still works," she grumbled. Once she had fully stood up, Malcolm took Dani's face in his hands and kissed her sweetly. She rolled her eyes and eventually smiled at him.

When they found out she was being released a few days after he had been, Malcolm thought he would have to beg Dani to come stay with him. Much to his excitement she'd said yes before he could completely finish the sentence. If he was going to be away from work, at least he got to spend all of his newfound free time taking care of her. Malcolm couldn't remember ever being this genuinely happy. Dani was here, she was healing, they were together. That alone was enough to sustain him for three lifetimes.

The weekend after Dani had come home, Malcolm threw her a welcome home party. Her mother, the team, and his family were all in attendance. It was supposed to be a low-key affair, but given the attendees, it quickly escalated into a laugh fest that they had to keep in check, so that Dani didn't overwork her lungs too soon.

Malcolm found a moment to talk to Gil privately as the others occupied Dani. He expressed his concerns and skepticism about Damian amending his statement. Gil admitted to having the same reaction.

"I get it. Something definitely happened to Damian for him to do a 180 like that so quickly. And no I have no clue what his motives might be. But until we either figure it out or something comes of it, there's no use in constantly worrying about it. Enjoy the blessings you've been given, kid."

"You're right," Malcolm replied, gazing over at Dani as she laughed. "So, what ever happened to you, and the whole Glock thing?" Gil slowly turned to him and he added, "Again, so sorry."

Gil chuckled, "Well given that none of your charges ended up being assault with a deadly weapon, there wasn't a whole hell of a lot they could do really. I got a one day, unpaid suspension. Which I gladly accepted." He raised his glass and smiled.

"What about JT?" Malcolm asked, watching him and Tally as they talked to Dani and Michelle.

"Brass put a written warning in his file. He seriously couldn't care less. Eventually, it will cycle out."

"That's good," he replied.

Gil put his arm on Malcolm's shoulder, "The good guys got a few wins this week, Bright. That doesn't always happen. Savor the moment."

The rest of the evening was a blur of love and laughter that warmed Malcolms heart greatly.

Having completed their walk, Dani went to the fridge to grab a bottled water. Malcolm sat at the bar watching her as he always did, checking for any signs of discomfort.

"I think I'm going to make a salad," Dani said, pulling produce from the shelf and setting it on the counter, "you want one?"

His phone vibrated. "Sure," he replied, unlocking it. There was a text message from a sender without a number. It was simply listed as "UNKNOWN".

**I know what you did. **

Almost immediately, a video appeared under the message. He made sure his phone was on silent before clicking it. As soon as it started, Malcolm's blood ran cold. There he was, on the deck of Bennet's boat, Luca on his knees, as he pulled the trigger. His hands started shaking as he fast forwarded, praying it cut off before, but it didn't. Bile creeped up his throat, as he watched the Malcolm in the video raise Bennet's gun and pull the trigger. Ezra's body fell backward and Malcolm exited the video, unable to watch any more of it.

The video looked to be filmed from another boat a few slips over from Bennet's. Someone else had been there, had witnessed the whole thing. He knew he couldn't panic. Not in front of Dani. He stared at the text message for a moment, trying to calm himself enough to pass as normal.

Dani looked up at him, "Everything okay?"

Malcolm immediately locked his phone, and forced a smile, "Yeah. Everything's good."


End file.
